Michael Apple, Social Theory, Critical Transcendence, and the New Sociology: An Essay

Abstract

Michael Apple has changed educational review and study significantly over the past 35 years.  He has written numerous books and articles, centering upon education and power, curriculum theory and research, cultural politics, critical pedagogy, as well as advancing the development of the democratic school.  Challenging social and political orthodoxy Michael Apple has altered the way scholars and educators approach schooling in North America, situating school life and schooling at the centre of educational theory and practice and, undeniable, social critique.  This essay reviews and appraises some of these changes.  It follows Michael Apple’s scholarship, acknowledging the theorists profound influence over educational theory and the critical process.Keywords: Critical Pedagogy; Michael Apple; Education; Resistance; New Sociology of Education