- Title
- Binds of professionalism: attachment in Australian and Finnish early years policy
- Creator
- Millei, Zsuzsa; Alasuutari, Maarit
- Relation
- Interrupting the Psy-Disciplines in Education p. 33-57
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51305-2_3
- Publisher
- Palgrave Macmillan
- Resource Type
- book chapter
- Date
- 2016
- Description
- Attachment theory is often referenced in psychology, social work and early childhood care and education, and is ubiquitous in popular publications directed to parents, carers and educators of young children. It is considered as a ‘grand theory’ that explains “the growth of social relationships from infants’ experiences with their caregivers and the consequent social preference called attachment” (Mercer, 2011, p. 26). In this chapter, we understand attachment theory as a discourse and as part of the ‘psy-complex’, “the sprawling speculative and regulative network of theories and practices that constitute psychology” (Parker, 2002, p. 199). We focus on the operation of ‘attachment discourses’ in early childhood policy and practice prescriptions in two contexts: Finland and Australia. We show how attachment theory is being translated (or undergoes change) as it travels across boundaries and fits within policies, existing practices and economic and ideological agendas of governments in its different contexts. As it is being translated to fit the particular policy problem, attachment produces various understandings of ‘the child’, ‘the caregiver’ and their relations. We outline in a comparative manner ‘the child’, ‘the caregiver’ and the relations, feelings, duties and responsibilities these discourses produce and with what effects. Our conclusions meet with others who discussed the economic and ideological biases of psychological theories and how they enter into the material structure of major institutions – including the preschool and the family - and govern actors’ everyday experiences and actions, including what is included in professionals’ work.
- Subject
- Michel Foucault; psy-disciplines; education
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1329030
- Identifier
- uon:26048
- Identifier
- ISBN:9781137513052
- Language
- eng
- Hits: 918
- Visitors: 972
- Downloads: 0