Steve Higgins

John Dewey's Democracy and Education Steve Higgins

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.