Iveta Silova & Noah W. Sobe 
Reimagining Utopias 
Theory and Method for Educational Research in Post-Socialist Contexts

Reimaginig Utopias explores the shifting social imaginaries of post-socialist transformations to understand what happens when the new and old utopias of post-socialism confront the new and old utopias of social science. This peer-reviewed volume addresses the theoretical, methodological, and ethical dilemmas encountered by researchers in the social sciences as they plan and conduct education research in post-socialist settings, as well as disseminate their research findings. Through an interdisciplinary inquiry that spans the fields of education, political science, sociology, anthropology, and history, the book explores three broad questions: How can we (re)imagine research to articulate new theoretical insights about post-socialist education transformations in the context of globalization? How can we (re)imagine methods to pursue alternative ways of producing knowledge? And how can we navigate various ethical dilemmas in light of academic expectations and fieldwork realities? Drawing on case studies, conceptual and theoretical essays, autoethnographic accounts, as well as synthetic introductory and conclusion chapters by the editors, this book advances an important conversation about these complicated questions in geopolitical settings ranging from post-socialist Africa to Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The contributors not only expose the limits of Western conceptual frameworks and research methods for understanding post-socialist transformations, but also engage creatively in addressing the persisting problems of knowledge hierarchies created by abstract universals, epistemic difference, and geographical distance inherent in comparative and international education research. This book challenges the readers to question the existing education narratives and rethink taken-for-granted beliefs, theoretical paradigms, and methodological frameworks in order to reimagine the world in more complex and pluriversal ways.

Table of Content

Acknowledgements; Introducing Research Dilemmas in Post-Socialist Education Contexts; Section 1: Researcher Positionality, Power, and Privilege; “She’s Our Spy”: Power and Positionality in Studying Lithuanian Teacher Communities; From the Inside Outside: The Use of Reflexivity in Researching Post-Soviet Education; “Now I Have Three Directors”: Examining Power, Positionality, and the Making of Meaning in Post-Socialist Educational Research; Pedagogical Peep Show: The Challenges of Ethnographic Fieldwork in a Post-Socialist Context; Section 2: Research, Community Engagement, and Activism; Reflections on Holocaust Education of the Roma Genocide in Romania; Journey of a “Gadzhe” Researcher: Rethinking the Use of Reflexivity in Research in Post-Socialist Contexts; Fieldwork as Socially Constructed and Negotiated Practice; Section 3: Data Collection, Collaborations, and Ethics; Institutional Review Boards and Intercultural Research Barriers; “Come Together”: Navigating Ethical (Un)Knowns through Dialogue in Community; Facing the Research Challenges: Lessons Learned from Monitoring Studies on Education Reforms in Azerbaijan; Using Document Analysis Methodology to Explore Educational Reforms and Policy Changes in Post-Soviet Ukraine; Section 4: Disciplinary Paradigms and Academic Traditions; Beyond Teleological Rationality in Post-Socialist Educational Research; Theorizing Standardized Assessment in Croatia: Alternative Insights Informed by the Capability Approach; Slovenian Pedagogy between Social Sciences and Humanities: Historical, Theoretical, Methodological, and Comparative Implications; Tirguaamme: An Ethiopian Methodological Contribution for Post-Socialist Knowledge Traditions in Africa; Masakhane, Ubuntu, and Ujamaa: Politics and Education in (Post) Socialist Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and South Africa; Section 5: Conclusion; (Re)Imagining Utopias; Author Biographies; Index.