Leadership Imaginaries

Toward a Cultural Political Economy of Community College Leadership
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-3-032-12046-5
Verlag: Springer

Buch, Englisch, 227 Seiten, Format (B × H): 153 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 426 g

This book explores the evolution of community college leadership imaginaries. Drawing insights from cultural political economy and critical discourse studies, it defines leadership imaginaries as constellations of meanings used to navigate a complex institutional reality. The main thesis of the book is that during the second half of the 20th century, leadership imaginaries evolved in relation to ideological contests and political-economic crises. Chapters on topics such as leadership, mission, vision, and crisis interrogate the unwritten rules about what administrators must do to be “good” leaders. Once these unwritten rules are made explicit and connected to ideological processes, it becomes apparent that leadership work does not have to be the way it is. Problematizing the status quo, we call for community college leaders, mentors, researchers, and other stakeholders to reimagine leadership and leadership work.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Ayers, David F.

Palmadessa, Allison L.

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Pädagogik Pädagogik Bildungssystem Bildungspolitik, Bildungsreform
• Sozialwissenschaften Pädagogik Schulen, Schulleitung Universitäten, Hochschulen
• Sozialwissenschaften Pädagogik Pädagogik Bildungswesen: Organisation und Verwaltung
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Wirtschaftspolitik, politische Ökonomie
• Sozialwissenschaften Pädagogik Pädagogik Geschichte der Pädagogik, Richtungen in der Pädagogik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Historical Overview.- Chapter 3: Theory and Method.- Chapter 4: Leadership Imaginaries: Cultural, Political, and Economic Contexts.- Chapter 5: Mission: The Evolution of a Contested Organizational Genre.- Chapter 6: Vision: Knowledge or Prophecy?.- Chapter 7: Imaginaries and the Legitimation of Community College Responses to the Energy Crisis.- Chapter 8: Conclusion: Reimagining Leadership.

Über Autor(innen)

David F. Ayers is associate professor of community college leadership at NC State University, USA. He is editor of  . He received the 2017 Senior Scholar Award by the Council for the Study of Community Colleges.

Allison L. Palmadessa  is Chair of the Department of History, Professor of History at Greensboro College, USA. She is the author of  (2023, Palgrave MacMillan) and  (2025, Palgrave MacMillan).