Critical Education Policy and Leadership Studies - The Intellectual Contributions of Helen M. Gunter

This edited collection is a Festschrift to Helen M. Gunter, a leading scholar in the field of education policy and leadership. We draw on the concept of the Festschrift as a collection of papers, or chapters, that recognise, honour, and celebrate the work and contributions of an esteemed academic. Gunter's work has opened up the field of critical education policy and leadership studies and provoked, if not revitalised, scholarly thinking about the origins, structures, patterns and impact of the field. Gunter's personal commitment to intellectual leadership of the field and public education resonates across all her scholarly works. 

The core intention of this unique collection is to recognise Gunter's scholarly contributions as an academic, practitioner and public intellectual. Invited authors have been asked to reflect critically on ways in which Gunter's work and intellectual support have influenced their own research, teaching and academic engagement. In their reflections, contributors not only speak to the intellectual work of Gunter but suggest how they have taken this work forward and how this has advanced the field of education as well as the production of knowledge. 



Tanya Fitzgerald is Professor of Higher Education and Dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Western Australia. Tanya's research interests span leadership and policy in higher education, the history of women's higher education, and educational biography. Tanya is Editor in Chief of the Handbook of Historical Studies in Education (Springer, 2020), and co-editor of the series, Perspectives on Leadership in Higher Education (Bloomsbury Academic, with Jon Nixon and Helen M Gunter) Her scholarly publications include numerous books, book chapters and journal articles and she is a regular contributor to social media debates. Current projects include a history of scholarly women and academic diplomacy, and an analysis of the biographies and career trajectories of vice chancellors of the top 100 universities.Steven J. Courtney is Professor of Sociology of Education and Director of Research at the Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester. Steven's research explores areas including education policy, system leadership, charisma, structural reform, depoliticisation and education privatisation, particularly in relation to the identities and practices of those constructed as educational leaders. He is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal Critical Studies in Education and co-convenor of the MIE research group, Critical Education Leadership and Policy (CELP). His most recent book (2021) is 'Understanding educational leadership: Critical perspectives and approaches' with Bloomsbury, co-edited with Gunter, Niesche and Trujillo. He is currently investigating former school leaders' experiences of leaving the headship.