This book critically analyses how cultural and educational policies construct creativity through a range of concepts and compares this against the open and expansive idea of creativity as experienced by individuals in society more broadly.

The book draws on empirical data, case-study examples, and ethnographic motifs to identify the discursive construction of creativity and the way in which discourses of creativity are enfolded into narratives of progress in cultural policy. Along with auto-ethnographical perspectives, chapters apply a rich conceptualisation of Foucault and Agamben’s work to contemporary questions and issues in education alongside recent policies and lived experiences from teachers. Exploring ideas of both fixed and expansive creativity, the volume argues that education policy and cultural policy are neoliberalised and that creativity is shaped in schools by regulative schooling systems, but ultimately identifies how individuals enact creative practices that subvert and disrupt neoliberal narratives and limited appropriations.

This book will be of great interest to researchers, academics, and postgraduate students in the fields of education policy, creativity studies, and education politics. Those interested in arts education or in intersections between education and the writings of Foucault and Agamben more broadly will also find the book of value.