The Citizen Factory: Schooling and Cultural Production in Bolivia

I purchased this book as part of my preparation for an upcoming trip to Bolivia where I will be working with teachers. Not only does this book prepare me for my upcoming work in Bolivia, the ideas with which Luykx works also effectively analyze the schooling situation in the United States. I am even thinking of adding the book to a course I teach on Critical Pedagogy because Luykx makes the ideas of social reproduction, societal dominance and culture clash so understandable. Further, it is always easier to look at problems in another country than in our own, even if they are similar. Nonetheless, in this process, students generally begin to make the connections. The writing is strong and engaging. Some parts are fairly dense reading, particularly when she deals with theory and theorists, which she does abundantly. These sections, though dense, are powerful and helped me make connections I have not seen before. When she goes into actual examples with case studies in Bolivian schools, her writing is engaging and flows easily. Luykx is a trained anthropologist and spent a number of years in Bolivia developing this book. It is a powerful piece of work and I recommend it highly.