Educational critical theory: A path forward

This paper has three aims. First, to provide a critical history (to look back critically at the community you belong to) of the ECT (Educationalists that adopt a critical theory perspective) to see how the major contributors to this community developed their approach to critical theory with an educational emphasis and more specifically how they looked at the relation between economics (a Marxist approach) and culture. Second, with the major finding of this critical history being that Marxism and economics was deemphasized within this community (of which I am a member) and the cultural became the dominant orientation, the paper considers what limits this focus had and has on critiquing society to change it. The third aim is to consider an alternative to this cultural emphasis that is titled Oneness theory—the weaving together of culture and economics. The thesis of Oneness theory is that by weaving culture and economics together not only will injustices and possibilities be more fully understood but differing critical theory groups can work together in solidarity to become a force for change to a more just society.