Social inclusion as an imaginary of new philanthropy in Portuguese education

• In Event: Privatizing education policy: exploring the role, networks and strategies of philanthropic actors to advance educational reform glocally (Part 2)

Proposal

This presentation addresses the ways through which new philanthropy in education is being enacted in Portugal, focusing on one of its significant imaginaries: social inclusion. We analyse EPIS, whose acronym stands for Entrepreneurs for Social Inclusion, a leading corporate philanthropic association with an expanding role within the Portuguese education system. EPIS positions itself as a central player in issues related to social inclusion and educational success. Previous studies (see Viseu and Carvalho 2021) have characterized EPIS as an intermediary actor, that is, an actor who engage in policy processes, and influence national educational agendas (Nay and Smith 2002). However, this study seeks to adopt a new analytical perspective: understanding social inclusion as an imaginary of new philanthropy, which contributes to ‘the reimagination of the “educational space” [introducing] new methods, new languages, and values’ in the delivery of education (Ball 2020, 22).

This analysis draws on Popkewitz’s notion of fabrication as the fictional and material work of ‘determinant categories about people that embody cultural theses about modes of life’ (Popkewitz 2013, 440). This notion drives us to consider distinctions and classifications that may order and give form to what should or not be considered appropriate agency.

The empirical work entailed mapping the key actors, conducting documental analysis of the EPIS website, and carrying out two semi-structured interviews with the EPIS Director and a member of its scientific council. The findings reveal that EPIS’ rationale for social inclusion appears to emerge as an extensive script for the social administration of the education system since it targets a range of areas: individual students (transforming ‘at-risk’ students into entrepreneurs); educational professionals and organizations (transforming existing cultures to become performance-oriented); and the mode of governance of education policies (fostering the State’s adoption of a rule-following role, dependent on expert knowledge generated by non-State actors. The presentation will discuss how the social inclusion imaginary promoted by new philanthropies like EPIS advances a system of reasoning that supports results-driven, evidence-based approaches to educational policy and knowledge.

Authors

• Sofia Viseu, UIDEF, Instituto de Educação, Universidade de Lisboa

• Luís Miguel Carvalho, Instituto de Educação, ULisboa