Everyday Politics of Educational Psychologists

This article contributes to theoretical discussions on politics of everyday life as a concept that enables greater understanding of the dialectical and transformational subject-structure relationship in order to grasp – theoretically, empirically and practically – otherwise hidden and poorly articulated political dimensions of our everyday practices. An analysis of the participation of educational psychologists in collective processes of reproduction and transformation of structural problems related to inequality, marginalisation and categorisation of individuals, as well as other problematics related to the contradictory societal matter of education, illustrate development of the theoretical concept of politics of everyday life. Educational psychologists play a significant role in the conflictual and contradictory processes in the field of education in a Danish context. By analysing the conduct of everyday work life by psychologists in schools, in addition to the collaboration, negotiation and conflicts that occur among various parties, the article attempts to understand their active participation as transformative political contributions to the development of the school and conditions for the educational system. Using a theoretical framework that involves a critical psychological, social practice perspective, everyday politics is analysed as a central and inherent aspect of the conduct of everyday life.