Foucault,Docile Bodies and Post-Compulsory Education in Australia

Australian post-compulsory education policies have been subjected to theoretical critiques which question assumptions behind the articulation of policy. One line of critique derives from Foucault's analysis of power, and makes particular use of the theme of ‘docile bodies’. A limitation of these critiques is the adoption of a ‘top-down’ model of policy which fails to test the model against empirical evidence. This article draws upon recent research evidence ‘at the extremities’ to test the applicability of Foucault's ideas within the Australian context. The research challenges the monolithic image that results from a Hop down’ analysis and counteracts untested assumptions about the inevitability of current policies. While it suggests ways in which Foucault's ideas might enables us to lay bare the disjunctures between policy and its plurality in practice, it also highlights the limitations of Foucault's imagery of power.     

Truth-telling as an Educational Practice of the Self: Foucault,Parrhesia and the ethics of subjectivity

This paper is devoted to an examination of Foucault's changing notion of truth in relation to the changing practice of education. In the first section I examine briefly the notion of truth as Foucault uses it to investigate the socio-political sphere. The remainder of the essay is given over to Foucault's six lectures entitled 'Discourse and Truth: the problematisation of Parrhesia', given at Berkeley during the months of October-November in 1983. In these lectures, Foucault outlines the meanings and the evolution of the classical Greek word 'parrhesia' and its cognates, as they enter into and exemplify the changing practices of truth-telling in Greek society. In particular, Foucault investigates 'the use of parrhesia in specific types of human relationsips' and 'the procedures and techniques employed in such relationships' (34/66). Central to his analysis is the importance of education and its relations to 'care of the self', public life and the crisis of democratic institutions.     

Self Examination, Philosophical Education and Spirituality

As a contribution to thinking about the possibility of spiritual education, I examine Pierre Hadot's important distinction between 'philosophy as theory', a detached investigation into 'the natures of things', and 'philosophy as a way of life', practical exercises which Socrates introduced as a means of 'learning to die'. While most philosophy today amounts to 'philosophy as theory', 'philosophy as a way of life' remains a respectable and viable tradition and a most exacting education of the spirit. I illustrate it here through an examination of some of its practitioners such as St Bernard of Clairvaux, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Etty Hillesum.     

Care of the Self in a Knowledge Economy: Higher education,vocation and the ethics of Michel Foucault

Recognising the relevance of Iris Marion Young's work to education, this article poses the question: given Iris Young's commitment to both social justice and to recognition of the political and ethical significance of difference, to what extent does her position allow for transnational interventions in education to foster democracy? First, it explores some of Iris Young's arguments on the relationship between democracy and social justice, with particular reference to their implications for education. Second, I argue that if her ideas are extended to the issue of global justice, the strategies which she offers should be extended, at least when it comes to educational intervention, to allow for a wider range of actions in support of global justice through education for democracy than Iris Young's work so far seems to allow. The wider range of strategies which I propose call on western feminists and their governments to do more to promote democracy and social justice globally. This can be done in ways that are consistent with Iris Young's stipulation that transnational interference is permissible if undertaken against dominative harm.     

Pedagogy Without Humanism: Foucault and the Subject of Education

Education is commonly understood as an interaction between subjects; an interaction between the educator, who already is a subject, and the child, who has to become a subject by means of the pedagogical activities of the educator. Postmodernism has seriously challenged the common (modern) understanding of human subjectivity. The question therefore is what his challenge entails for our understanding of the process of education.In this paper this question is taken up in the context of a distinction between two conceptions of education: education as manipulation and education as communication. It is argued that the manipulative conception is closely related to the modern understanding of human subjectivity, as is the critique leveled against the communicative conception. In order to find out whether the postmodern "deconstruction" of the modern understanding of human subjectivity opens up new possibilities for a communicative understanding of education, Foucault's analysis of the emergence and subversion of the modern conception of man is presented and discussed.Although Foucault's work points into the direction of the recognition of the primacy of the intersubjective - and in this sense supports a communicative understanding of education - his deconstruction also makes clear that intersubjectivity cannot be understood as a new deep truth about man. This means that pedagogy has to do without humanism. The paper concludes with some reflections on such a pedagogy without humanism.     

Foucault at School: Discipline,Education and Agency in Harry Potter

The formative power of children's literature is both great and suspicious. As a resource of socialization, the construction and experience of children's literature can be seen as modes of disciplinary coercion such as Michel Foucault has anatomized. Harry Potter, as a “craze” phenomenon, has attracted particular controversy due to its intense commercialization and dissemination, raising questions about its socializing roles. Here I argue that Harry Potter itself addresses, represents, and reflects on socializing disciplines as both psychological and socio-historical processes, with special focus on and implications for educational scenes and methods. Discipline is shown to be inevitable and necessary, but not only in the coercive ways of Foucault. It is no less important for constructing the self in positive senses. Hogwarts, as the central site of action, becomes a stage for a wide variety of educational models and disciplinary modes and goals. These range from Dolores Umbridge, whose classroom is coercively disciplinary in full Foucauldian sense; through Snape's abuses of power, Albus Dumbledore's modelling of educational and moral values, and Harry's own role as student-teacher exemplifying educational principles which Jerome Bruner and others have called a “community of learning.” This variety of educational experiences explores the possibilities through which discipline emerges not only as coercive, but also as formative in ways that are maturing, strengthening, and rewarding: a possibility with strong implications for questions of socialization and creativity in general. Harry Potter concludes with a reconstitution of self and society, in a way that endorses discipline even as it suspects its coercive abuses. This becomes not only a personal project but an explicitly social and political one, requiring both critique and investment in culture. Socialization then is shown to be a process of formation that is not merely coercive but creative.     

论国民教育理论与教育现代化的统一性

国民教育理论是 18世纪伴随资本主义民族国家的形成而出现的 ,它对近代民族国家的现代化进程起了不可磨灭的推动作用 ,它包含了政体教育论、人的性格形成论、国家教育论、民族教育论等一般论点 ,涉及到国家民族、人与教育之间的双重关系。今天的教育现代化是昨天教育现代化的继续和延伸。研究国民教育理论 ,可以更好地指导教育现代化建设     

现代性价值系统危机与价值观教育

遭遇"外在性"与"内在性"危机的现代性价值系统呈现紊乱与颓废之势,这无疑影响到了价值观教育的存在空间与意义空间。但是,价值观教育不仅要直面这一"恶"的境遇,还要具有超越性品质。它理应在努力实现自身救赎的同时,对现代性价值系统的恢复与重建、对现代社会摆脱困境做出自身的贡献。     

论自我关怀与道德教育

法国哲学家福柯的自我关怀核心可以理解为:调节自我与自我的关系和自我控制技术使生活艺术化,形成主体性,其研究主要侧重男性经验。女性主义自我关怀以女性经验为基础,关注自我尊重与自我价值感,提出聆听自我需求。自我关怀应通过自我回归,形成伦理主体之自我,所以自我关怀的理解不仅仅是狭义的道德行为,还应广义的理解为以自我关系形成的自我存在。自我关怀可通过道德教育,培养自我尊严、自我反省来实现,具体方法有自我写作、自我叙事、自我对话等。     

Danish Education,Pedagogical Theory in Denmark and in Europe,and Modernity

There is often something wistful about pedagogic theory and pedagogical reflections. This may be in the nature of things: pedagogy tends to operate in the realm of ideals and ideal situations. At a time when education seems to have become exclusively a matter of money and allocation of resources in the public discourse we have found it urgent to rethink and discuss some basic tenets of pedagogy in modern society. They are centred round the notions of cultural production, social integration, and socialisation. At the same time we introduce the concept of parallel learning.     

Foucault and Human Rights: Seeking the Renewal of Human Rights Education

This article takes up Foucault's politics of human rights and suggests that it may constitute a point of departure for the renewal of HRE, not only because it rejects the moral superiority of humanism—the grounding for the dominant liberal framework of international human rights—but also because it makes visible the complexities of human rights as illimitable and as strategic tools for new political struggles. Enriching human rights critiques has important implications for HRE, precisely because these critiques prevent the dominance of unreflexive and unproductive forms of HRE that lead toward a declarationalist, conservative and uncritical approach. It is argued that Foucault's critical affirmation of human rights—that is, an approach which is neither a full embrace nor a total rejection—provides a critique that can be disruptive to the conventional HRE approach and creates openings that might renew HRE, both politically and pedagogically.     

现代性困境与教育艺术

现代性困境在中国具有双重意蕴,一方面是现代性不足,另一方面是现代性问题凸显.这就需要把科学教育与人文教育、教育科学与教育艺术结合起来.教育是科学,更是一门艺术.古人讲究教育艺术,现代人推崇教育科学;古代人运用智慧,现代人追求知识;理想的教育是把二者完美地结合起来."动之于情,晓之于理"是教育艺术的精髓;"因材施教"、"寓教于乐"是教育艺术的途径;积极引导、宽松环境是教育艺术的条件;提升境界、和谐发展是教育艺术的目的.只有把教育科学升华为教育艺术,才能创造人间奇迹.教育是崇高的事业,教育家和教育工作者必须高度关注人类的前途和命运、审视人类的精神处境,将教育看作现代化的动力,并成为现代性的思考者和批判者.重视和发展教育艺术应该成为帮助人类走出现代性困境的重要契机.