Constructing and deconstructing binaries in education research

Abstract

This chapter interrogates the concept of the binary – a representation based on an either/or logic – in relation to contemporary education research. Discussion focuses on multiple definitions and conceptualizations of binaries and diverse examples of their role in constructing educational experiences and outcomes. That diversity is matched by heterogeneous positions about what deconstructing and moving beyond binaries might entail. From this discussion the authors elicit a list of questions that helps to frame the succeeding chapters’ constructions and deconstructions of binaries and to highlight their contributions to helping to move beyond those binaries.