Philosophical Perspectives on Compulsory Education

Contributions to this volume from diverse perspectives explore pedagogical practices of the contemporary world, namely the school. Themes of autonomy, authority and liberalism are surfaced in the debates and highly innovative insights presented in this book where philosophical perspectives shed light on the theoretical underpinnings of formal education and schooling. How we interpret the self, humanity and the world connects to perspectives on compulsory education. 
General theoretical issues surrounding compulsory education are often tested through more concrete aspects of schooling, some of which have a specific origin in, or particular bearing on, the current socio-political conditions of schooling. For this reason, this book is sensitive to context and to empirical and concrete dimensions of the educational venture, and takes into account current concerns about neo-liberal policies and their effects on schooling.
As a philosophical-educational intervention in the topic ofcompulsory education, these chapters draw connections between older philosophical debates on compulsoriness and new developments and emphases in schooling.