Book excerpt: Originally published in 1994, Teachers: Constructing a Future is designed for teachers, as well as those interested in the future of schooling and education. The book draws on sociological analysis, philosophical insights and aspects of political economy to examine the changing and developing role of teachers in the context of the current transformation of western capitalism. It considers the historical growth of teaching as a profession and as a political force, and indicates that economic rationalism has been effectively employed to elevate the instrumental role of schooling in society, and consequentially to devalue the professional and political nature of teaching.