Homeschooling as a Barometer of State Power and Control in the Czech Republic

Abstract

The chapter introduces homeschooling in the Czech Republic, Europe, from the perspective of an anthropologist, who herself had both observed the phenomenon scientifically, as well as practiced it with her four children. The author introduces homeschooling as an important social topic, that may be regarded as a barometer of state power and control over its citizens. The text takes the reader onto a historical journey through various regimes that have governed the country, from the dawn of compulsory schooling under the Habsburg dynasty in the 18th century, through to two World Wars, onto socialism, communism, and finally, democratic government and its various turbulences over the last 30 years. Based upon participant observation, interviews, autoethnography, and secondary sources analysis, the author shows nuances and niches of homeschooling within the state compulsory education system, its battle for recognition, inclusion, and sustainability, which is achieved not only by law itself but also by five pillars of successful homeschooling, noted at the end of the chapter.