Schooling and the Struggle for Public Life: Democracy's Promise and Education's Challenge (Cultural Politics and the Promise of Democracy) [Paperback]

Henry A. Giroux (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1594510350 | ISBN-13: 978-1594510359 | Publication Date: June 2005 | Edition: 2nd

This book examines the relationship between democracy and schooling and argues that schools are one of the few spheres left where youth can learn the knowledge and skills necessary to become engaged, critical citizens. Not only is the legacy of democracy addressed through the work of John Dewey and others, but the democratic possibilities of schooling are analyzed through a range of issues extending from the politics of teacher authority to the importance of student voices. These issues have only become more vital in an era of neoliberalism and 'smaller government', as Giroux discusses at length in this new updated edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This perceptive, piquant proposal for educational reform by educator Giroux ( Theory and Resistance in Educaton ) exposes the supposedly anti-democratic assumptions and underlying elitist prejudices of, among others, Allan Bloom and William Bennett, who see education in terms of "a narrowly defined labor market perspective." Inspired by John Dewey's "vision of public schools as democratic spheres . . . where the skills of democracy can be practiced, debated, and analyzed," Giroux argues that the proper function of schools is that of "citizenship education," the teaching of critical skills that advance emancipatory interests, promote equity and justice, and improve not merely SAT scores, but the quality of public life. Giroux draws upon Marxism, feminism, liberation theology and the pedagogical theories of Paulo Freire et al., and addresses a wide range of interrelated subjectsauthority in the classroom, ethics, teacher education, literacyin terms of their "critical" significance, that is, their role in making the school into a "progressive force in the ongoing struggle for democracy as a way of life."
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Henry A. Giroux currently holds the Global TV Network Chair Professorship at McMaster University in the English and Cultural Studies Department. He has published numerous books and articles and his most recent books include The University in Chains: Confronting the Military-Industrial-Academic Complex (2007) and Against the Terror of Neoliberalism (2008).

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Paradigm Publishers; 2nd edition (June 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594510350
• ISBN-13: 978-1594510359
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,576,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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