Lacking Subtlety: A Critical Analysis of the Project 2025 Report and Impacts on Music Education.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Lacking Subtlety: A Critical Analysis of the Project 2025 Report and Impacts on Music Education.
Authors:	Palkki, Joshua¹, Caithaml, Justin², Kimbrel, Shawn³
Source:	Action, Criticism & Theory for Music Education. May2026, Vol. 25 Issue 3, p13-55. 43p.
Subject Terms:	*Music education, Gender role, Critical discourse analysis, Communication patterns, Cultural policy
Company/Entity:	Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.)
Reviews & Products:	Project 2025
Abstract:	In 2023, The Heritage Foundation released the Mandate for Leadership document, commonly referred to as the "Project 2025 Report," which outlined a conservative policy agenda for a potential Republican administration (Dans and Groves 2023). Drawing on the work of discourse theorists Fairclough and Fairclough (2012), who argue that language shapes social reality, and Butler (2024), who explores how constructed harms maintain systems of power, this study critically examines the report's education chapter. Using Critical Feminist Discourse Analysis (CFDA; Sunderland and Litoselliti 2002) alongside Butler's (2024) concept of a gender phantasm, we coded and analyzed key rhetorical patterns. We present our findings through three thematic categories suggested by Sunderland and Litoselliti (2002), revealing how gender and power are discursively constructed. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for music education and issue a call to action for scholars, preservice and in-service teachers, and professional music education organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	In 2023, The Heritage Foundation released the Mandate for Leadership document, commonly referred to as the "Project 2025 Report," which outlined a conservative policy agenda for a potential Republican administration (Dans and Groves 2023). Drawing on the work of discourse theorists Fairclough and Fairclough (2012), who argue that language shapes social reality, and Butler (2024), who explores how constructed harms maintain systems of power, this study critically examines the report's education chapter. Using Critical Feminist Discourse Analysis (CFDA; Sunderland and Litoselliti 2002) alongside Butler's (2024) concept of a gender phantasm, we coded and analyzed key rhetorical patterns. We present our findings through three thematic categories suggested by Sunderland and Litoselliti (2002), revealing how gender and power are discursively constructed. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for music education and issue a call to action for scholars, preservice and in-service teachers, and professional music education organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	15454517
DOI:	10.22176/act25.3.13