ERIC Number: EJ1157093
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1468-1366
EISSN: N/A
Educational Archaeology and the Practice of Utopian Pedagogy
Webb, Darren
Pedagogy, Culture and Society, v25 n4 p551-566 2017
This paper explores the idea, and some elements of the (potential) practice, of utopian pedagogy. It begins by outlining the general aims of "utopian pedagogy" and notes the shift within contemporary writings away from the metaphor of the architect (armed with a utopian "blueprint") towards that of the archaeologist. The ontological underpinnings of educational archaeology are discussed before attention turns to a critical examination of the pedagogical process of excavation. The key questions here are (to labour the metaphor) where to dig and how to identify a utopian find. The paper argues that, without a substantive normative vision to serve as a guide, utopian archaeology is conceptually flawed and practically ineffectual, romanticising an endlessly open process of exploration. The final section suggests that the fears associated with utopian architecture (authoritarian imposition, totalising closure) are misplaced and that drawing up a "blueprint" should be the aim and responsibility of utopian pedagogy.
Descriptors: Instruction, Figurative Language, World Views, Student Experience, Futures (of Society), Dialogs (Language)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A