John Dewey's Democracy and Education

A British tribute

Author/Editor(s):

Format:

Paperback / softback, 190 pages, 234 mm x 156 mm

ISBN:

9781782771661

Published:

15 Jun 2016

Imprint:

UCL IOE Press

In 1916 John Dewey published 'Democracy and Education: An introduction to the philosophy of education'. In this book some of today's foremost historians, philosophers, psychologists, and sociologists of education mark the anniversary of Dewey's work by reviewing and reflecting, from a British perspective, on Dewey’s contribution to our understanding of the role of education in a democracy. Together the essays provide a critique of the current relationship between education and democracy, and also explore the contemporary relevance of Dewey’s magnum opus for the role of education in societies which he characterized as 'nominally democratic'. The distinguished contributors show how Dewey’s ideas and battles are still being drawn upon in the controversies that continue to animate education in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as a tribute to one of the foremost educational thinkers from the United States.

Steve Higgins

Steve Higgins is Professor of Education at Durham University.
Frank Coffield

Frank Coffield is Emeritus Professor at the UCL Institute of Education.
Gary McCulloch

Gary McCulloch is the Brian Simon Professor of History of Education at the UCL Institute of Education.
Steven Cowan

Dr Steven Cowan is a Lecturer in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the UCL Institute of Education.
Diane Reay

Diane Reay is Professor of Education at Cambridge University.
Lorna Unwin

Lorna Unwin, OBE, is Professor Emerita of Vocational Education at the UCL Institute of Education.
Vivienne Baumfield

Vivienne Baumfield is Professor of Pedagogy, Policy and Innovation in the School of Education, Unversity of Glasgow.
Michael Fielding

Michael Fielding is Emeritus Professor of Education at the UCL Institute of Education.
Jan Derry

Jan Derry is Professor of Philosophy of Education at the UCL Institute of Education.
Gert Biesta

Gert Biesta is Professor of Education and Director of Research at Brunel University London, and Visiting Professor in Art Education at ArtEZ Institute of the Arts, in the Netherlands.

CONTENTS: Preface, by Steve Higgins; 1. The reception and impact of Democracy and Education: the case of Britain, by Gary McCulloch and Steven Cowan; 2. A thinker for the 21st century? John Dewey and English Education in neoliberal times, by Diane Reay; 3. Dewey’s understanding of and vision for vocational education, by Lorna Unwin; 4. Dewey, Education and Schooling , by Steve Higgins; 5. Teachers as powerful, democratic professionals, by Frank Coffield; 6. Democratic Pedagogy: Thinking together, by Vivienne Baumfield; 7. Why and how schools might live democracy as 'an inclusive human order', by Michael Fielding; 8. Dewey’s philosophy of education: Representing and intervening, by Jan Derry; 9. Education and democracy revisited: Dewey’s democratic deficit, by Gert Biesta; Review and final comments, by Frank Coffield.

This extraordinary volume charts John Dewey’s reception and influence in Great Britain as of the centennial of the publication of his most influential and widely read text, 'Democracy and Education'. Through Dewey, the authors ask, what values are of most worth and how can they be enacted in education?

A thoughtful, timely, and energetic collection that I will use in my teaching and research.

— A.G. Rud, Washington State University, USA, and President-Elect, John Dewey Society

John Dewey’s Democracy and Education: A British Tribute provides an insightful and thought-provoking perspective on translating democracy into educational terms on the basis of Dewey’s theory. It is an important contribution to the field since it reflects deeply upon the fundamental issues and arguments regarding the role of education in a democratic society.

— Masamichi Ueno, Professor of Education, Daito Bunka University, Tokyo

This important collection is a testament to how important ideas resonate through time. It brings together a series of marvellously discerning contemporary contributions that amplify these ideas. Each reverberates with the voice of John Dewey while critically engaging with his work, edifying the reader and carrying on the task of scrutinizing the very basis of our shared humanity.

— Dr John Quay, Melbourne Graduate School of Education

‘… a wholly readable, accessible and enjoyable text that will appeal to a range of educationists’.

— Deborah A. Sabric, University of Roehampton, History of Education, Volume 48, Number 3, 2019, pages 440-41

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