Gert Biesta | What is the educational question? | Conflict Matters 2017

Conflict Matters Conference | London | 2017
Keynote speech by Gert Biesta, Brunel University London

What is the educational question? Arousing the desire for democracy.

It is often argued that citizenship education needs to equip children and young people with the knowledge, skills and dispositions that are needed to be good citizens. While this may be a necessary condition for good citizenship, the question Biesta wishes to ask is whether it is also a sufficient condition – or in more plain language: whether this is enough. In his presentation he will suggest that there is a different task for education in relation to democracy and democratic citizenship which he will phrase as that of arousing the desire for wanting to exist with others in democratic ways. This not only raises questions about our understandings of democracy but also about educational practices and arrangements. Here he will particularly focus on the role and importance of interruption, suspension and sustenance as modalities of democratic education.

Organised by the Evens Foundation in partnership with the University of Cambridge and British Academy.
London, November 8 - 10, 2017.
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