This open access book explores alienation not just as a problem to be solved by education, but as a fundamental and productive part of the human condition. The authors examine alienation through various theoretical lenses, viewing it as an essential and productive aspect of human existence that must be acknowledged and lived with, especially in times of ecological and social crises. The chapters cover diverse aspects of alienation in education, from historical perspectives to didactics, policy, embodiment, and ethics. They draw on marginalized theoretical approaches such as psychoanalysis, German idealism, speculative realism, and dialectical materialism to highlight the positive and foundational aspects of alienation. By rethinking and retelling the stories of alienation, the book challenges the prevailing solutionist attitudes in education policies and pedagogies calling for a deeper awareness and sensitivity to the paradoxes and ambiguities of individual and social existence.

The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Tampere University.

Antti Saari is Assistant Professor of Education at Tampere University, Finland.
Jonas Andreasen Lysgaard is Associate Professor of Education at Aarhus University, Denmark.
Stefan Bengtsson is senior lecturer at the Department of Education, Uppsala University, Sweden.