By Stephanie Hamilton
Dr. Abraham P. DeLeon, UTSA Associate Professor of Social Foundations, has been awarded a 2020 Outstanding Book Award by the Society of Professors of Education for his 2019 publication, Subjectivities, Identities, and Education after Neoliberalism: Rising from the Rubble.
DeLeon describes his text as both philosophical and imaginative. In it, he details the current educational, social, political, linguistic and cultural struggles that are happening during the current neoliberal moment.
“I depart from this situation and take the reader through a fictional dance, crossing an inter-disciplinary literary, film, artistic, philosophical and historical imaginative journey, examining other possibilities that could possibly emerge if/when neoliberal capitalism falls,” said Deleon. “This allows the reader to come to their own conclusions and see for themselves that other artists, writers, and cultural creatives have put forth a different kind of tomorrow to think about.”
DeLeon’s book, published by Routledge, is one of 14 texts highlighted as outstanding by the Society of Professors of Education.
“The award is really an honor and is a great feeling when your work is valued by your peers in the larger academic community,” DeLeon said.
Founded in 1902, the Society of Professors of Education is a professional and academic association of persons engaged in teacher preparation, curriculum studies, educational foundations, and related activities. Its primary goal is to provide a forum for consideration of major issues, tasks, problems, and challenges confronting professional educators.
DeLeon was able to complete the book under the faculty developmental leave program, which enables tenured and tenure-track faculty members to engage in projects such as study, research, writing, field observations and creative activity for the purpose of adding to the knowledge available to the individual faculty member, his students, his institution, and society in general. DeLeon said, “I hope with our current COVID-19 challenges that my colleagues will also be able to have the kind of time I was able to utilize to pursue their own research interests and projects.”
DeLeon thanks dean DelliCarpini for her continued support of his work, as well as his colleagues in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and across the College of Education and Human Development.
DeLeon’s current research interests fall squarely in the convergences of the imagination and the future possibilities of educational theory and praxis.