The Crisis of the Meritocracy

Britain's Transition to Mass Education since the Second World War

The Crisis of the Meritocracy
Peter Mandler
RRP:
NZ$ 61.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 49.59
Hardback
h234 x 153mm - 384pg
24 Sep 2020 UK
9780198840145
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
Before the Second World War, only about 20% of the population went to secondary school and barely 2% to university; today everyone goes to secondary school and half of all young people go to university. How did we get here from there? The Crisis of the Meritocracy answers this question not by looking to politicians and educational reforms, but to the revolution in attitudes and expectations amongst the post-war British public - therights guaranteed by the welfare state, the hope of a better life for one's children, widespread upward mobility from manual to non-manual occupations, confidence in the importance of education in a 'learningsociety' and a 'knowledge economy'. As a result of these transformations, 'meritocracy' - the idea that a few should be selected to succeed - has been challenged by democracy and its wider understandings of equal opportunity across the life course. At a time when doubts have arisen about whether we need so many students, and amidst calls for a return to grammar-school selection at 11, the tension between meritocracy and democracy remains vital to understanding why ourgrandparents, our parents, ourselves and our children have sought and got more and more education - and to what end.
In this brilliant book, Mandler recasts the history of democracy in post-war Britain by placing the social and cultural forces that drove the relentless expansion of mass education centre-stage. It is a refreshingly original tour de force that will challenge many preconceptions. * Jon Lawrence, author of Me, Me, Me? The Search for Community in Post-war England *
Fascinating and convincing: contemporary history at its best. Mandler's account of the 'race between education and democracy' shows how modern British education is the product of broad social change rather than political fights and ideology. This makes it hugely relevant to anyone interested in policy. With luck, it may even improve our policymaking. * Alison Wolf, author of Does Education Matter? Myths About Education and Economic Growth *
Peter Mandler is an historian of modern Britain who teaches at Cambridge University; his books cover a range of social, cultural, political, and intellectual history subjects relating to Britain since the 18th century and also to the history of the social sciences in the wider Anglophone world. Between 2012 and 2016 he was President of the Royal Historical Society and from 2020 he serves as President of the Historical Association. He is a Fellow of the BritishAcademy and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was born and raised in the USA but has spent most of his adult life in the UK; he is married to Ruth Ehrlich, a professional violinist, andhas two grown-up children, who are also sadly split between the US and the UK.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9780198840145
Published: 24 Sep 2020
Published In: United Kingdom
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Format: Hardback
Height: 234mm
Width: 153mm
Pages: 384

In stock - for items in stock we aim to dispatch the next business day. For delivery in NZ allow 2-5 business days, with rural taking a wee bit longer.

Locally sourced in NZ - stock comes from a NZ supplier with an approximate delivery of 7-15 business days.

International Imports - stock is imported into NZ, depending on air or sea shipping option from the international supplier stock can take 10-30 working days to arrive into NZ. 

Pre-order Titles - delivery will vary depending on where the title is published, if local stock is available in NZ then 5-7 business days, for international imports it can be 10-30 business days. In all cases we will access the quickest supply option.

Delivery Packaging - we ship all items in cardboard sleeves or by box with either packing paper or corn starch chips. (We avoid using plastics bubble bags)

Tracking - Orders are delivered by track and trace courier and are fully insured, tracking information will be sent by email once dispatched.

View our full Order & Delivery information