Abstract
This chapter delves into the relationship between politics and education in current culture. The chapter argues that humanistic education is essential in a pluralistic society that recognizes and values the diversity of human experience. It addresses the concept of political pedagogy and the historical use of education as a means of social control. A multicultural society demands an education approach that stresses critical thinking and social responsibility, according to this chapter. In addition, it emphasizes the significance of studying the humanities, such as philosophy, literature, history, and the arts, for gaining a deeper understanding of the human experience and developing a critical perspective on the world.
TopInitial Considerations: Political-Pedagogy
Difference, alterity, pluralism, and multiculturalism serve as essential and dynamic parts of anthropological-ontological, sociocultural, and epistemological-political perspectives in contemporary human and social sciences. They are necessary for theoretical approaches, empirical diagnostics, and practical propositions, including institution organization, framing, and orientation. This is because, ontogenetically speaking, differences are the most fundamental characteristic of human communities and cultures, as essential as our state as living beings. Without this category, the centrality of differences as the basis, object, and subject of the constitution, dynamism, and linkage of human and social sciences, we would not be able to comprehend discussions on paradigmatic foundation and the application of these same paradigms in terms of framing, critiquing, validating, and orienting these differences, with all their richness and contradictions.
Similarly, a substantial portion of the most persuasive epistemological, political, cultural, and pedagogical theories of our time insist on and utilize this centrality of differences in normative terms for another fundamental reason, namely that we live in the era of differences, the age of alterity, from an epistemological, social, cultural, and political standpoint. A simple look at the daily lives of our cultures exposes the multitude of styles, attitudes, and practices that define how we interpret the world and place ourselves in it. This condition of a plural society, which is also characteristic of a plural world, i.e. the multiplicity of differences, challenges totalizing and one-dimensional anthropological-ontological, sociocultural, and epistemological-political perspectives that assume and assert themselves as exclusivist, directly universalist, and, thus, capable and legitimate for the critique, framing, and orientation of the totality of differences, seeking to make them homogeneous.
On the other hand, pluralism allows for theoretical and practical learning and renewal, as well as institutional and cultural reformulations, which would enable us to establish and expand democracy, equality, freedom, inclusion, and truth. In any event, this tension between plurality and homogeneity is neither exclusive to nor even primarily fueled by clashes between nations, cultures, and ideologies within themselves. It is at the heart of modern democratic societies that the correlation of intersubjectivity and individuality, public and private, axiological-cultural pluralism, and civic-cultural identity mutually energize through tensions, conflicts, and syntheses that give life and meaning and that orient and reorient the processes of socialization and subjectivization, institutionalized or not, in these same democratic societies, also defining the type of private and public action.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Social Control in Education: The utilization of education throughout history and in the present to shape and control societal conduct. This study examines the utilization of educational institutions, policies, and practices to influence ideologies, norms, and values, thereby affecting the social structure and power dynamics within a community.
Pluriversal Society: A society that encompasses a wide range of perspectives, cultures, and experiences, acknowledging the value and abundance of diverse human backgrounds. It opposes uniformity and advocates for inclusiveness, appreciating the diversity of stories, identities, and perspectives.
Politics in Education: The dynamic interaction among political ideologies, power structures, and educational systems. This text explores the impact of politics on educational policies, curriculum development, and pedagogical approaches. It delves into how education plays a role in shaping societal values and promoting civic engagement.
Humanistic Education: A pedagogical approach that prioritizes the cultivation of individuals who possess a comprehensive set of skills, including critical thinking, empathy, and social responsibility. The organization places great importance on the humanities, such as philosophy, literature, history, and the arts, recognizing them as crucial means of comprehending the human experience and cultivating a comprehensive perspective on the world.
Political Pedagogy: The utilization of education as a means for political involvement and empowerment. The process entails imparting critical thinking, civic awareness, and social responsibility to individuals, enabling them to acquire the requisite skills and knowledge for active engagement in a democratic society.