In a series of lectures published under the title ‘L’évolution pédagogique en France’, Durkheim analysed the sociology of education and how the ‘history’ of secondary and higher education has been marked by a series of changes resulting from new political and economic trends since the Middle Ages. These were shaped by the development of new attitudes and needs.
Simon Marriott asked to write my thoughts about ‘what makes a fair society?’. He is soliciting opinion on the matter of growing socio-economic inequality across the world and looking for ideas/ideals/mechanisms to improve civic institutions/civil society, education and to advance knowledge of rights and responsibilities, to enable people in all societies to change their own lives and communities for the better.
Read more…
As part of the Ragged Library, Professor James Smith – Chair of African and Development Studies, Assistant Principal, Global Development, University of Edinburgh suggested James Scott’s (1999) Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed, Yale University Press…
Scott’s work is extremely important in helping us understand the limits and limitations of development planning as the means to order society. Read more…
The relationship which exists between schooling and society has been explored by many thinkers including Emile Durkheim. Our identity as individuals and develops in context with educational settings and their links with the broader landscapes. In formal spaces there can often be a tendency to lose track of the autonomy of the individual and how important that autonomy is in renewing a healthy environment. Read more…
Mythology is used to make sense of the world, to explain why things are as they are, from natural phenomena like volcanoes and the weather to human behaviour and society. Greek myths describe the lives of gods and heroes, their loves, interactions with other gods and mortals, and their battles with monsters. Read more…
Music plays a huge role within everyday society, from the advertising campaigns of corporate businesses, to live performances. The understanding of the power music holds is vastly recognised and utilised to cause affect to an audience. Read more…