Across the globe educators are being required to respond to a changing political environment. New nations emerge out of the collapse of old empires; new democracies struggle out of old structures of oppression. Driven on by the fierce competitiveness of the ‘tiger economies’ of the east, old social welfare[1]based democracies are transformed into new market led enterprise societies. The essays in this international collection are a response from twenty-two educators to these changes and to the reassessment that they provoke of some of the fundamental principles which shape educational thought and practice. They focus in particular on four key clusters of issues to do with the role of education in cultivating: • national identity Authors from political settings as culturally distant as Lithuania and Taiwan consider what role, if any, nationalistic education might play in the context of a democratic liberal education. • market principles Contributors offer different perspectives on the internationally pervasive application of the principles of the market economy to education and the consequent ‘commodification’ of learning. • personal autonomy Different dimensions of the contested notion of autonomy are examined along with the related discourses of ‘edification’ and ‘empowerment’. • democratic citizenship From post-Soviet Russia to the new South Africa, in schools and in the context of professional training, educators examine what education for democratic citizenship might mean in practice and tease out some of the conflicts of principle which are raised in its implementation. The contributors are distinguished scholars drawn from every continent. They write consciously for an international readership and there is constant cross reference to developments in different parts of the world. All are practitioners in education sharing an interest in the philosophical issues underlying social change. The philosophical discussion is clearly rooted in and referred back to the world of educational practice and its political context.

First Published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The essays in the book are organized into three sections in order to address the conceptualization of democracy and citizenship, reform efforts towards democratization in various societies, and educational efforts to foster democratic citizens. Each is written from a different historical and national perspective by an international panel of prominent comparative education scholars and each tackles the theme of democracy and civic duty in education.

Education affects these two dimensions in distinct ways, influencing democratic enlightenment through cognitive proficiency and sophistication, and political engagement through position in social networks. For characteristics of enlightenment, formal education simply adds to the degree to which citizens support and are knowledgeable about democratic principles.

In Moral and Political Dimensions of Critical-Democratic Citizenship Education, Wiel Veugelers analyses theory, policy and practice of moral education and citizenship education in the past few decades. He shows that there are different orientations in national and global moral education and citizenship education. He criticises the strong orientation on the individual and on adaptation, and argues for more emphasises on social justice, equity and democracy. This volume brings together articles Veugelers published in the past 25 years. Each article is introduced by a reflection on the reasons for the article, its responses, and lessons that are still relevant. The book ends with a large chapter that overviews central developments and presents a programme for future theory, research, policy and practice in moral education and citizenship education with a strong focus on democracy and empowerment: the moral should become more political and the political more moral.

Human beings have the possibility to give meaning to their lives and to create coherence in experiences. Present-day humanism strongly focuses on personal development in relation to others. It is this tension between personal development and advancement of humanization, that is creating the opportunities for the personal development of every world citizen. Humanism is about personal autonomy, moral responsibility, and about solidarity with humanity. The tension between autonomy and social involvement is the core of humanism. Education can support persons in their moral and personal identity development. The authors brought together in this book all address issues of developing autonomy and humanity in educational practices. All the chapters try to link theory and practice. They either make theoretical ideas more practical or they use practical experiences and concerns to rethink theoretical notions. Together the chapters in the book give a broad overview of theoretical foundations, concrete research, and practices in education. The book shows a diversity that can inspire scholars and practitioners in further developing their perspectives. Creating meaning is an essential part of all education. Focusing on the linking of autonomy and humanity is the humanist perspective in it.

The essays in the volume address educational issues that arise when national, sub-national and supra-national identities compete. How can we determine the limits to parental educational rights when liberalism's concern to protect and promote children's autonomy conflicts with the desire to maintain communal integrity? Given the advances made by the forces of globalization, can the liberal-democratic state morally justify its traditional purpose of forging a cohesive nationalidentity? Or has increasing globalization rendered this educational aim obsolete and morally corrupt? Should liberal education instead seek to foster a sense of global citizenship, even if doing so would suppress patriotic identification?In addressing these and many other questions, the volume examines the theoretical and practical issues at stake between nationalists, multiculturalists and cosmopolitans in the field of education. The fifteen essays, plus an introductory essay by the editors, provide a genuine, productive dialogue between political and legal philosophers and educational theorists.