Political pedagogy and its role within humanistic knowledge: analysis of Western approaches

Abstract

The subject of this research is the conceptualization of political education in educational science. Political education functions as a privileged point of intersection of various political discourses. It is claimed that different versions of political education comply with different ontological and epistemological assumptions, normative approaches towards democracy, and concepts of correlation between education, humanistic knowledge, and politics. It is noted that in majority of historical and philosophical concepts of democracy, there is a tacit link between politics and education. Recommendations for educational practice contain the definition of pedagogy within the framework of the theory of political education, as well as specific pedagogical methodologies with consideration of humanistic knowledge. The author describes the versions of political education that emerged as a result of analysis of the material. The corresponding political discourse and its philosophical principles, educational consequences for politics and practice, as well as debates and criticism, are viewed for each version. Thus, the elitarian version of political education and political pedagogy is associated with the elitarian democratic discourse. The supporters of liberal political education need education for political, epistemological, and moral reasons. Political equality can be guaranteed only in the society of informed and rational citizens; therefore, democracy requires the universalization of education. Neoliberals, in turn, recommend substituting public education with practice of competitive market, while debating pedagogues understand the education of democratic civic consciousness as cultivation of skills and values for the public discussion.