Making Spaces: Citizenship and Difference in Schools

Making Spaces: Citizenship and Difference in Schools

Also by Tuula Gordon FEMINIST MOTHERS SINGLE WOMEN: On the Margins? UNRESOLVED DILEMMAS: Women, Work and the Family in the United States, Europe and the Former Soviet Union (co-editor with Kaisa Kauppinen) DEMOCRACY IN ONE SCHOOL? Progressive Education and Restructuring Also by [anet Holland THE MALE IN THE HEAD (with Caroline Ramazanoglu, SueSharpe and Rachel Thomsoni SEX, SENSIBILITY AND THE GENDERED BODY (co-editor with Lisa Adkins) SEXUAL CULTURES (co-editor with feffrey Weeks) DEBATES AND ISSUES IN FEMINIST RESEARCH AND PEDAGOGY (co-editor with Maud Blair) IDENTITY AND DIVERSITY: Gender and the Experience of Education (co-editor with Maud Blair) From the same publishers

Making Spaces: Citizenship and Difference in Schools Tuula Gordon Professor of Women's Studies and Soeial Seiences Department of Women's Studies University of Tampere Ianet Holland Professor of Soeial Research and Direetor of the Soeial Seienee Research Centre Faeulty ofhumanities and Soeial Seienee South Bank University, London and Elina Lahelma Departmentof Edueation University of Helsinki and Senior Fellow Aeademy of Finland Consultant Editor: Ja Campling

First published in Great Britain 2000 by MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978-0-333-66441-4 DOI 10.1057/9780230287976 ISBN 978-0-230-28797-6 (ebook) First published in the United States of America 2000 by ST. MARTIN'S PRESS, INe., Scholarly and Reference Division, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 ISBN 978-0-312-22619-0 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Making spaces : citizenship and difference in schools / Tuula Gordon, Janet Holland, and Elina Lahelma. p. cm. 1ncludes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 978-0-312-22619-0 (cloth) I. High school students - England- London - Social conditions Cross -cultural studies. 2. High school students - Finland- Helsinki- -Social conditions Cross-cultural studies. 3. Education, Secondary- -England- London Cross-cultural studies. 4. Education, Secondary- -Finland-Helsinki Cross-cultural studies. 5. Sex differences in education - England - London Cross-cultural studies. 6. Sex differences in education - Finland - Helsinki Cross-cultural studies. 1. Gordon. Tuula. 11. Holland. Janet. 111. Lahelma, Elina. LC208.4.M35 1999 306.43 - DC21 99--29160 CIP Tuula Gordon. Janet Holland and Elina Lahelma 2000 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written pennission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written pennission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the tenns of any licence permitting limited copying issucd by the Copyright Licensing Agcncy, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W IP OLP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. 10 9 8 7 6 09 08 07 06 05 5 4 3 2 04 03 02 01 I 00

Contents Acknowledgements Introduction: Do You Wanna Dance? 1 1 Individual Citizens 9 2 Space and Place for Markets: New Right and the Restructuring of Education 23 3 Curricula for Nations 36 4 lnvitation to the Dance: Exploring Everyday Life in Schools 52 5 One Two Three, One Two Three: the Official School 65 6 Stepping Here, Stepping There: the Informal School 101 7 'Strictly Ballroorri': the Physical School and Space 136 8 'Twist and Shout': Bodies in the Physical School 165 9 Who are the Wallflowers? 192 Appendix: Methods in Use 204 Notes 209 References 214 Index 227 vi v

Acknowledgements This book is one of the results of a Finnish-English research project entitled 'Citizenship, Difference and Marginality in Schools - with Special Reference to Gender'. We are deeply indebted to the people whose observations and analyses we have used in this book. The Finnish research project consists of Pirkko Hynninen, Tuija Metso, Tarja Palmu, Tarja Tolonen, Tuula Gordon and Elina Lahelma. Pirkko, Tuija, Tarja and Tarja were each specialising in a particular area of the research, but sharing experience and da ta with us. The keen eyes, sharp observations and innovative Interpretations of these women have been irreplaceable for the analysis which we present in this book. Sinikka Aapola and jukka Lehtonen joined the Finnish research project later; their contribution to the analytic discussions in our meetings has been invaluable. The Finnish team has been helped by a number of people and we especially want to thank Päivi Haavisto Vuori, Marja Peltovuori, Marita Lampinen, Katariina Hakala and Sirpa Lappalainen. janet Holland had two able and committed researchers, each of whom worked with her, undertaking observations and interviews in one of the London schools and some analysis. Kay Parkinson read and commented on the manuscript of this book. [anet's gratitude to Nicole Vitellone and Kay Parkinson is unbounded for their contribution to the work, inspiration and friendship. Ianet would also like to thank the Finnish research team, and of course Tuula and Elina for bringing her into the project, and for being such excellent colleagues and collaborators. We are grateful to numerous people for many reasons, for example for enjoyable and useful discussions on joint interests or for commenting on our papers or parts of this book. We especially want to mention AnneLise Arnesen, Ilse Eriksson-Stjernberg, Mary Kehily, Leena Koski, Melanie Mauthner, Marjatta Saarnivaara, Hannu Simola and Rachel Thomson, and the members of the research network Gender and Education/EDDI in Finland. We also thank Jo Campling for her encouragement and advice. During the research Tuula, Elina and janet have worked in the following institutions: the Department of Sociology and Department of Education at the University of Helsinki, the Department of vi

Acknowledgements vii Women's Studies at the University of Tampere, the Social Science Research Unit at the Institute of Education in London, the Open University, and the School of Education, Politics and Social Science at South Bank University, London. We would like to thank the Academy of Finland for the major funding for this research. We were also funded by the Youth Research 2000 Programme (Finland), the Open University and South Bank University. We are grateful to all these institutions for material support and to our colleagues within them for friendship and discussions. Most of all, we want to thank the teachers, students and other people at our research schools, City Park and Green Park in Helsinki, and Oak Grove and Woburn Hili in London. This research would not have been possible without their support, friendliness and tolerance for our continuing presence and endless questions. Last but not least, we want to thank Robert Albury, Dougie Gordon. Mikko Gordon, janne Gordon. Eero Lahelma, Anna Lahelma and Marja Lahelma for love and support. TUULA GORDON JANET HOLLAND EuNA LAHELMA