Answering Back: Girls, Boys and Feminism in Schools

'Not since Making the Difference (Connell et al 1982) have we had an account of schooling wherein the voices sounded so real and their engagement with the project of schooling (and in this case of gender reform) so palpable.'Judith Gill, University of South Australia, in The Australian Educational ResearcherMention feminism in schools and the temperature rises. Try to apply feminist policies and ideas in staffrooms and classrooms and what happens? What do girls, boys and teachers do when feminists try to change them and their schools? How do they feel? Are they in trouble or do they make trouble? Answering Back exposes the volatility of gender reform in many schools and classrooms. It tells stories in close up and from below, allowing everyone to talk: anxious boys, naughty girls, cantankerous teachers, pontificating principals and feisty feminists. This book challenges many sacred ideas about gender reform in schools and will surprise and unsettle teachers and researchers. It draws on a deep knowledge of gender issues in schools and of feminist theories, policies and practices. It is compelling and provocative reading at the leading edge.