SKELETONS IN THE CLASSROOM CLOSET: PRESENCE / ABSENCE IN THE "DEMOCRATIC" PUBLIC SPHERE OF THE ACADEMY
Keywords:
public sphere, Freire, Habermas, classroom, academic cultureAbstract
ABSTRACT. The author brings together Paulo Freire and Jürgen Habermas to ask whether dialogue is possible in the classroom or whether, in a culture of rational debate, the classroom becomes more oppressive than democratic? In a voice and style that attempts to invite the skeletons out of the classroom closet, the author asks scholarly readers to lend an ear, to give audience to the tensions in the classroom and the academy. She argues that the classroom and academy are at risk of being more oppressive than democratic, and calls for what Freire describes as “witness᾿ and trust in academic conferences, policy boardrooms, school staff rooms, and classrooms. Finally, the author extends the metaphor to scholarly publishing, and asks also about the skeletons in the closets of many scholarly journals. SQUELETTES DANS LE PLACARD DE LA CLASSE : PRÉSENCE/ABSENCE DANS LA SPÈRE PUBLIQUE « DÉMOCRATATIQUE » DE L’ÉCOLE RÉSUMÉ. L’auteure réunit les écrits de Paulo Freire et Jurgen Habermas dans le but de savoir si un dialogue est possible dans la classe ou si, dans une culture de discussion rationnelle, la classe devient plus oppressive que démocratique? En adoptant un ton et un style qui tentent d’inviter les squelettes à sortir du placard de la classe, l’auteure demande aux lecteurs scolarisés de prêter une oreille attentive, d’être à l’écoute des tensions qui peuvent exister dans la classe et dans l’école. Elle fait valoir que le climat de la classe et de l’école risque de devenir plus oppressif que démocratique, et réclame ce que M. Freire qualifie de « témoin » et de confiance dans les conférences universitaires, les conseils de formulation des politiques, les salles du personnel des écoles et les classes. Finalement, l’auteure étend la comparaison à l’édition d’ouvrages savants, et ouvre la porte à d’autres questions concernant les squelettes dans les placards d’un grand nombre de journaux érudits.Downloads
Published
2008-10-12
How to Cite
Provençal, J. (2008). SKELETONS IN THE CLASSROOM CLOSET: PRESENCE / ABSENCE IN THE "DEMOCRATIC" PUBLIC SPHERE OF THE ACADEMY. McGill Journal of Education / Revue Des Sciences De l’éducation De McGill, 43(2). Retrieved from https://mje.mcgill.ca/article/view/1184
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