The 'OECD machine' - using a negative universality gaze to examine the OECD and its positive universal engineering fantasy.

Heck, Deborah and Russelbaek Hansen, Dion and Sharpling, Elaine and McFlynn, Paul (2025) The 'OECD machine' - using a negative universality gaze to examine the OECD and its positive universal engineering fantasy. Research in Education. pp. 1-16. ISSN 0034-5237

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Abstract

Recently, there has been a greater emphasis, especially inspired by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), on the creation of educational policy that appears to want to control the future. This is evidenced by promoting an engineering fantasy in/for education that embodies positive universalism. We critically examine such positive universalism by drawing on the notion of negative universality (Kapoor & Zalloua, 2022ab) along with concepts of fantasy, desire and sublime objects (Zi ˇ zek, 1989), and Rosa ˇ (2020) cultural criticism. We illustrate our concepts through the story of a skiing holiday where the fantasy of the perfect snowscape always fails to deliver what it promises. Here, travellers who desire the experience of skiing on ‘perfect snow’ are seduced by powerful advertising campaigns. Due to the unpredictability of nature, travellers are often faced with intrusive snow machines that noisily – and in a ‘vulgar’ way – engineer and man�ufacture the snowscape which spoils and punctures the fantasy of the perfect skiing conditions. Our paper critically examines the OECD’s (2019b) Learning Compass 2030 document, discussing the universal engineering fantasy that promises to produce certainty, moral improvement and control in/with education. We also analyse the ac�companying OECD’s attitudes and values document (OECD, 2019a) that identifies a list of sublime objects such as respect, justice and Bildung to which all countries must aspire if they wish to succeed. We conclude that the policy documents of the OECD present a positive universal engineering fantasy that promises a non-antagonistic and harmonious future. However, such a future will be impossible to achieve. Hence, we call for educators to critically engage with negative universality to expose the lacks and contradictions always inherent in global policies. This would provide educators with an opportunity to reflect on and critically confront seductive policy and its engineering fantasy that captures their desires.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	education policy, educators, lacks, desire, sublime objects, cultural criticism
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
Divisions:	Institutes and Academies > Institute of Education and Humanities > Academic Discipline: Teacher Education
Depositing User:	Elaine Sharpling
Date Deposited:	23 Jul 2025 09:40
Last Modified:	23 Jul 2025 09:40
URI:	https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/3840

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