The education divides (that confront society today)

Education has become a fundamental divide in global politics. This may be seen in the recent attacks on higher education by the state in the US and other countries, and the growing polarisation of views on education among political parties on the left and right. It can also be seen in the opposing voting preferences of university and non-university educated electorates in countries across Europe, North America and beyond. While these education divides in politics are driven by a number of factors, many of which do not have to do with the field of education specifically, we focus in this article on how these divides–and in particular, increasingly polarised views on education–have been driven in part by a set of divides internal to the organisation and practice of formal education itself. It is not coincidental that education is now a site of contestation in national and global politics; these divides help to explain why this is the case. If we are to move beyond the pathologies and dangers that are erupting all around us in relation to the question of education, then fostering a new educational imaginary that can address and resolve these divides will be essential.