Towards democratic foundations: A Habermasian perspective on the politics of education

18 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A central aspect of education has always been the passing on of norms and values. This task is not fulfilled if pupils only learn the meaning of established norms and values. It is also about making pupils believe in them and to act according to them. Thus, teaching is also a kind of political socialization. The values taught change historically and this change is related to the political history of a society. Western societies currently are in the middle of a normative transformation. The question is which normative significance this general social transformation has for contemporary education. The answer is that schools should make a radicalized understanding of democratic citizenship its normative foundation. Jrgen Habermas's theory of democracy is the general point of departure.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Curriculum Studies
Volume38
Issue number5
Pages (from-to)521-543
Number of pages23
ISSN0022-0272
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2006
Externally publishedYes

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