Education in Radical Uncertainty

This is a courageous book that will make readers think differently about educational research. Carney and Madsen present a profound epistemological argument for alternative ways of doing research, and they also actually do it. Aesthetically curated, juxtaposed, designed in poetic forms and complemented by drawings and sketches, little stories lead to an extremely coherent portrait of the complex world of schooled life in three sites. A must read! --Jason Beech, Senior Lecturer in Education Policy, Monash University, Australia Once in a while a comparative and international education book emerges that is a startling breath of fresh air. Education in Radial Uncertainty is such a book. Using fragmented writing, the authors have produced a readerly text that pushes us to question our understandings of contemporary education in unapologetically transgressive and affirmative ways. --Marianne A. Larsen, Professor Emeritus of Education, Western University, Canada Uninspired by status-quo social science? Unable to shake uncertainty but hesitant to surrender to the unknowable? Carney and Madsen draw upon decades of collaboration to deliver a profound riddle for contemporary educational research. With each turning page, this 21st century koan seeps in, all written with enough subtle humor and sparkle to suggest that the abyss is gazing back into us with a smile. --Jeremy Rappleye, Associate Professor of Education, Kyoto University, Japan Education in Radical Uncertainty is written with intense love, passion, and pain. It calls on each of us to face the world the way it is - finite, fractured, and fragmented - refusing the delusional pursuit of (re)making it the way we want it. --Iveta Silova, Professor, Arizona State University, USA Education in Radical Uncertainty is a book that questions the most profound scientific project of sense-making. It speaks to the insight that we all share from time to time that maybe the world is not organized with the rational logic that we feel compelled to impose upon it. Perhaps the world makes no sense. And although this might cause us to despair at first, it might also be a relief. Personally, I learned much and enjoyed reading it. It has made me think differently about my own research. What else can you ask from a mere book? --Comparative Education Review