The University of Sheffield
The School of Education

Dr Ansgar Allen PhD, MA Ed Res, MChem, PGCE

Dr Ansgar Allen

Lecturer in Education

Tel: (+44) (0)114 222 8085
Fax: (+44) (0)114 222 8105
Email: a.allen@Sheffield.ac.uk
Twitter: AnsgarAllen
Room: 7.13




Teaching

Ansgar teaches in the areas of educational philosophy, history and theory. Students are encouraged to address and debate questions such as: 'What does education do?' and 'What might education become?

Ansgar directs the full-time masters courses at the School of Education and also teaches on the BA in Education, Culture and Childhood and EdD programme.

Research interests

Ansgar’s research investigates contemporary issues in education using historical and philosophical perspectives. To date his research has focused on educational practices considered as forms of power. It explores the joint histories of assessment, meritocracy and schooling as they relate to broader social processes, discourses and regimes of power. His research also develops a critique of recent theoretical trends in the analysis of power. It offers a sustained analysis of the work of Michel Foucault and those who have since applied Foucault’s ‘genealogical’ method.

Activities

Books

After Fairness: A History of Meritocracy, Palgrave Macmillan - Forthcoming 2013

Education and Philosophy: An Introduction, SAGE - Forthcoming 2014

Articles

Allen, A. (2013) 'The solitary academic: a dying breed' openDemocracy - OurKingdom, 14 February 2013.

Allen, A. (2012) 'The heart of British schools and Gove's 'dark place'' openDemocracy - OurKingdom, 3 September 2012.

Allen, A. (2012) 'The British public elects their Jesus' openDemocracy - OurKingdom, 26 July 2012.

Allen, A. (2011) ''You never will be a rock star": Britain, social mobility and the exploitation of hope' openDemocracy - OurKingdom, 11 November 2011.

Papers

Allen, A. (forthcoming) 'The Examined Life: On the Formation of Souls and Schooling' American Educational Research Journal.

Allen, A. (2012) 'Cultivating the myopic learner: the shared project of high and low-stakes assessment' British Journal of Sociology of Education 33 (5), 641-659. ⇒

Allen, A. (2012) 'Life without the 'x' factor - meritocracy past and present' Power and Education 4 (1), 4-19. ⇒

Allen, A. (2011) 'Michael Young's The Rise of the Meritocracy: a Philosophical Critique' British Journal of Educational Studies 59(4), 367-382. ⇒

Allen, A. (2011) ‘The idea of a world university: can Foucauldian research offer a vision of educational futures?’ Pedagogy, Culture & Society 19 (3) 367-383. ⇒

Allen, A. (2009) ‘The Foucauldian Peacekeeper: on the dispersion of power and the futility of change’ Power and Education 1 (2) 226-237.

Chapters

Allen, A. (forthcoming, 2014) 'Michel Foucault'. In D. Phillips (ed) Encyclopedia of Educational Theory and Philosophy. SAGE.

Allen, A. (2013) 'The Idea of a World University'. In M. Murphy (ed) Social Theory and Educational Research, volume 4: Governance and Management: Performativity, audit cultures and accountability. pp. 23-38. London: Sage.

Allen, A., Anderson, K., Bristol, L., Downs, Y., O´Neill, D., Watts, R. & Wu, Q. (2009) ‘Resisting the Unethical in Formalised Ethics: Perspectives and Experiences’. In Satterthwaite, Piper, Sikes (eds) Power in the Academy, 135-152. Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books Ltd.

Reviews

Allen, A. (forthcoming) 'Confucius, the Analects and Western Education' British Educational Research Journal.

Allen, A. (2010) ‘Against ‘Thrift in the Proliferation of Meaning'' Power and Education 1 (3) 358-360.

Allen, A. (2008) ‘Why Foucault? Why not Afoulcut?’ Pedagogy, Culture & Society 16 (3) 315 - 320.⇒

Resources

Allen, A. (2012) 'Using Foucault in educational research' British Educational Research Association on-line resource.

Research Students

Beverly Trotman