Abstract
The field of policy has long sought to solve the global problem of girls’ lacking STEM aspirations, deploying a range of gendered educational STEM policies to this end. This thesis studies the attempts to solve this problem and thus how such policies organise and govern girls’ STEM aspirations.
Inspired by the current literature on aspiration formation, more specifically on aspiration-raising policy, and affective governmentality, the thesis focuses on how gendered educational STEM policies seek to produce different times and affects as a means of organising and governing girls’ STEM aspirations. However, because such policies sprinkle glitter on STEM to produce these particular times and affects, the thesis is centred on the role that glitter plays in organising and governing the STEM aspirations of girls.
To analyse the organising and governing role played by glitter, in this thesis I develop a new material/discursive concept of glitter inspired by Coleman’s original concept of it. However, I analyse the sensory affective aspects of glitter in addition to the ‘internal affect’ on which Coleman focuses. I contend that in attracting and reflecting light, glitter allures sight and attention, thus appearing to be an efficient instrument for alluringly attracting girls to STEM. However, glitter only allures sight and attention to certain fields, leaving others in darkness. As such, glitter is not a reliable tool for organising and governing social and thus aspirational behaviour, as all manner of disturbing matters could lurk in the darkness of glitter.
In the thesis, I use the new concept of glitter to scrutinise this dark side of glittery STEM. This scrutiny reveals that gendered educational STEM policies: (1) produce positive future time, but also negative past time, which troubles that future time; (2) condition stereotypical subjectivity, which might allow a new type of girl to aspire to STEM, but similarly dissuades non-stereotypical girls from doing so; and (3) might not organise or govern the STEM aspirations of girls.
On the basis of the thesis’ findings, I conclude that gendered educational STEM policies are over-efficient in the sense that they organise and govern what they intend to but indeed also what they do not. The policies produce positive future time and inclusion as intended, but also negative past time and exclusion, which is not intended. Moreover, the thesis brings me to the conclusion that in sprinkling ‘blinding’ glitter, the field of policy might blind us all to its unintended effects, thus also rendering us unable to act on the fact that gendered educational STEM policies – paradoxically – organise and govern effects that potentially counteract those intended.
Inspired by the current literature on aspiration formation, more specifically on aspiration-raising policy, and affective governmentality, the thesis focuses on how gendered educational STEM policies seek to produce different times and affects as a means of organising and governing girls’ STEM aspirations. However, because such policies sprinkle glitter on STEM to produce these particular times and affects, the thesis is centred on the role that glitter plays in organising and governing the STEM aspirations of girls.
To analyse the organising and governing role played by glitter, in this thesis I develop a new material/discursive concept of glitter inspired by Coleman’s original concept of it. However, I analyse the sensory affective aspects of glitter in addition to the ‘internal affect’ on which Coleman focuses. I contend that in attracting and reflecting light, glitter allures sight and attention, thus appearing to be an efficient instrument for alluringly attracting girls to STEM. However, glitter only allures sight and attention to certain fields, leaving others in darkness. As such, glitter is not a reliable tool for organising and governing social and thus aspirational behaviour, as all manner of disturbing matters could lurk in the darkness of glitter.
In the thesis, I use the new concept of glitter to scrutinise this dark side of glittery STEM. This scrutiny reveals that gendered educational STEM policies: (1) produce positive future time, but also negative past time, which troubles that future time; (2) condition stereotypical subjectivity, which might allow a new type of girl to aspire to STEM, but similarly dissuades non-stereotypical girls from doing so; and (3) might not organise or govern the STEM aspirations of girls.
On the basis of the thesis’ findings, I conclude that gendered educational STEM policies are over-efficient in the sense that they organise and govern what they intend to but indeed also what they do not. The policies produce positive future time and inclusion as intended, but also negative past time and exclusion, which is not intended. Moreover, the thesis brings me to the conclusion that in sprinkling ‘blinding’ glitter, the field of policy might blind us all to its unintended effects, thus also rendering us unable to act on the fact that gendered educational STEM policies – paradoxically – organise and govern effects that potentially counteract those intended.
| Original language | English |
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| Place of Publication | Frederiksberg |
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| Publisher | Copenhagen Business School [Phd] |
| Number of pages | 257 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9788775680894 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9788775680900 |
| Publication status | Published - 2022 |
| Series | PhD Series |
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| Number | 18.2022 |
| ISSN | 0906-6934 |