A Language of Freedom and Teacher's Authority: Case Comparisons from Turkey and the United States explores dimensions of authority that are deeply embedded in the profession of teaching. It examines critical dimensions of the foundations of Turkish and U.S. public education, both of which are under new pressures due to changes in the relationship between public schooling and current reforms in education. The contributors reflect on varied dimensions of authority, of which ideals are shifting under political and economic pressures. In both Turkey and the U.S, public education reflects the early influence of secular equalitarianism, revolutionary democratic developments, and an Enlightenment-based sense of the human right to education. Against this, we see the opposing dialectic where state control and curricular censorship and constriction appear too often.

Highlighting the threats that an overreliance on technology poses for teacher creativity, student voice, and the well-being of democracy, Moving beyond Technicism in English-Language Teacher Education advocates a critical approach to education. Using the author's own personal experiences, this book offers a critical analysis of the technicist English-language teacher education programs introduced by Turkey's Council of Higher Education in the neoliberal period. Beginning with the implementation of critical education in the early years of the Republic of Turkey, the book documents how teacher education practices in Turkey evolved from liberal to mechanic with the influence of the Cold War. By shedding light on the transformative actions of a teacher in eastern Turkey, the book explores the impact of critical teacher education on preservice and in-service teachers' perceptions and practice. Highlighting the ethical responsibilities of educators, the book calls for a critical, democratic, and humanizing approach to teacher preparation.