Beyond critical pedagogy: an account of youth enactment in multiliterate culture

Educational reform both nationally and internationally is underpinned by an emancipatory agenda, in particular the principles of social justice. Educators are called upon to achieve this through a pedagogy which is immersed in the language of critical theory. Whilst syllabus documents and curriculum policies reflect such an agenda, it begs the question of whether such policies and pedagogical practices are influencing the everyday social lives and practices of youth, particularly in cases where emancipation is not a key issue. Are contemporary youth making choices that further the critical transformative cause, or are our critical pedagogies simply serving to perpetuate dominant understandings? Within a critical poststructuralist framework, this paper explores and interprets accounts of youth enactment of the tenets of critical pedagogy within their multiliterate lives.