Freedom as non-domination, standards and the negotiated curriculum
Authors
Hopkins, NeilAffiliation
University of BedfordshireIssue Date
2015-03-18
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This article investigates the application of Philip Pettit's concept of freedom as non-domination to the issues of educational standards and the negotiated curriculum. The article will argue that freedom as non-domination (and the connected concept of debating contestations as part of a legitimate democratic state) shines a critical light on governmental practice in England over the past two decades. Joshua Cohen's proposal of an ideal deliberative procedure is offered as a potential mechanism for the facilitation of debating contestations between stakeholders over the curriculum. Cohen places particular importance on the participants being ‘formally and substantively equal’ in the proceedings and being able to ‘recognize one another as having deliberative capacities’. It will be argued that formal and substantive equality between children and responsible adults is highly problematic due to the ‘considerable interference’ (Pettit) teachers and adults have to make in children's lives. However, the article does offer examples of children's deliberative capacities on the issue of the curriculum (in response to Cohen).Citation
Hopkins N. (2015) 'Freedom as non-domination, standards and the negotiated curriculum', Journal of Philosophy of Education, 49 (4), pp.607-618.Publisher
Wiley BlackwellAdditional Links
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-9752.12129Type
ArticleLanguage
enISSN
0309-8249EISSN
1467-9752ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1111/1467-9752.12129