This book provides a timely response to concerns about the rising numbers of children whose behaviour is recognised and understood as a medicalised condition, rather than simply as poor behaviour caused by other factors. It is the first scholarly analysis of psychopathology which draws on the philosophers Foucault, Deleuze, Guattari and Arendt to examine the processes whereby children's behaviour is pathologised.

Valerie Harwood is Professor of Sociology and Anthropology of Education, Sydney School of Education and Social Work, The University of Sydney, Australia.

Julie Allan is Professor of Equity and Inclusion at the University of Birmingham, UK, and Visiting Professor of Education at the University of Borås, Sweden.

1. Introduction 2. A Brief History of Mental Disorders in School 3. The Risk Factors? 'Race', Social Class and Gender 4. From the Cradle to the Crèche 5. Primary School 6. Secondary School 7. Colleges and Universities 8. Professionals' Interruptions 9. Conclusion - Learning, Teaching and the Thrill of Pedagogy