Prophets and profits: managerialism and the restructuring of Jewish schools in South Africa

Abstract

In a compelling blend of narrative history and social analysis, Prophets and Profits contributes to the global literature on educational change by analysing the impact of both managerialism and religious extremism on the restructuring of Jewish community schools in Johannesburg. A landmark study in South Africa, this work is also of international interest because it brings together two divergent yet connected tendencies in current educational transformation. These are the neo-liberal ideologies of the market, manifesting in the application of managerial approaches to school management, and the resurgence of ethnic and religious communities in search of identity. This paradox of globalisation is extremely topical and gains added interest when set against the extraordinary story of transformation in South Africa.