Introduction

Abstract

The title of this book Actionable Postcolonial Theory in Education plays with the ambivalence of meaning of the word “actionable.” According to the Oxford Dictionary, “actionable” can mean: (1) able to be done or acted on; (2) having practical value; and (3) giving sufficient reason to take legal action. The first two meanings, emphasized in this book, highlight the productive potential of postcolonial theory to disrupt parochialisms and prompt significant shifts in thinking and practice in education. The third meaning can be turned on its head with a view to challenge the legal structures that reproduce global injustice.