«A humane, scholarly, and profoundly counter-cultural text which resists the domination of education by technical, economic and bureaucratic considerations. For its discussions of the place of laughter in education and the role of poetry and imagination in the liberation of the human mind, this book deserves to be used in all teacher education programmes. Although written by a Catholic, it has all the power of Luther's denunciation of current corruptions in institutional culture and practice.» (Gerald Grace, Professor, Institute of Education, University of London) «James Conroy is right: if we want to counter the hegemony of economic thinking in education, we need to cultivate alternative images and metaphors of what education is for and what it is about. Conroy's eloquent and erudite exploration of the idea of liminality not only opens up exciting theoretical possibilities. His concern for the future of liberal democracy gives his writing a clear practical edge and results in imaginative, original and highly relevant suggestions and conclusions. This is a strong book with a powerful message.» (Gert Biesta, Professor of Educational Theory, University of Exeter).