Curriculum studies in a global knowledge economy: drivers of change. As with all academic disciplines, the study of curriculum within knowledge producing.organizations (such as universities) is influenced by global trends, transitions and transformations. The formation of a global knowledge economy is changing the types of work undertaken by academics and teachers and changing their relationships with their respective professional communities and students. Following Sohail Inayatullah (1998), I suggest that among the current drivers of change affecting alternative futures for intellectual work, four seem particularly significant, namely globalization, multiculturalism, virtualization and politicization.Curriculum studies in a global knowledge economy: alternative futures As Catlos Alberto Torres (2002) observes, globalization 'shifts Solidarities both within and outside the national state' (p. 364) and, therefore, in considering alternative futures for education we must address questions raised by the globalization of these two traditional bases of formal education systems, namely, governance and economies.I suggest that one important task for curriculum scholars-whether they be in Australia, Iran, or anywhere else - is to re-examine the purposes of education in the light of the transformations of individual and collective identities into both more privatized and more globalised forms.In thinking about how we do this, I have found Nancy Fraser's (1993) distinction between two senses of solidarity to be useful: Solidarity premised on shared identity and Solidarity premised on shared responsibility.