FOUCAULT, DOCILE BODIES AND POSTCOMPULSORY EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA

Australian post-compulsory education policies have been subjected to t heoretical critiques which question assumptions behind the articulatio n of policy. One line of critique derives from Foucault's analysis of power, and makes particular use of the the theme of 'docile bodies'. A limitation of these critiques is the adoption of a 'top-down' model o f policy which fails to test the model against empirical evidence. Thi s article draws upon recent research evidence 'at the extremities' to test the applicability of Foucault's ideas within the Australian conte xt. The research challenges the monolithic image that results from a ' top down' analysis and counteracts untested assumptions about the inev itability of current policies. While it suggests ways in which Foucaul ts ideas might enables us to lay bare the disjunctures between policy and its plurality in practice, it also highlights the limitations of F oucault's imagery of power.