Michael W. Apple

Dr. Michael Apple is one of the most influential and important thinkers in critical educational studies around the world. This chapter begins by tracing his biography and educational history, outlining how his commitment to a politics of social and educational justice has been a core part of his identity for his life and the entirety of his academic career. It then moves on to describe Apple’s role as one of the founding voices of critical education theory and practice, including some descriptions of his more influential work in curriculum studies, democratic education, and critical analyses of Rightist educational movements. This chapter concludes by discussing Apple’s legacy as a critical educational scholar, which includes his important and powerful “tasks of the critical scholar/activist in education.”