Anarchism and Education: A Philosophical Perspective : San ...

By Judith Suissa
PM Press, 19.95, 164 pages

Anarchism is a violent, derogatory term when used by our media, yet many intelligent people consider it a viable ideology for social change. The subtle aspects of anarchist thought pervade many areas of our liberal democracy, and education is no exception. In her investigation of the history of categorization of anarchist education, Suissa develops a set of qualities and ambitions for a political ideology centered upon an unending self-organization of society.

Anarchist schools have existed in Spain, New York, Berkeley, and many other places since the early 1900s. They?ve been different in their nuances but similar in their continual development as centers of communal activity and child development. Curriculums are self-created with small degrees of guidance, students organize their interests as they discover them, and a broad set of knowledge is privileged instead of narrow specialization.

The eclectic history of anarchist theory is examined and accounted for, and Suissa shrewdly points out inaccuracies and fallacies of anarchist exponents and their detractors. Her conclusion centers on the aspects of anarchist education already prevalent in our liberal educational system, how utopic concerns are incongruent to a lack of conflict, and how this educational practice directly teaches students of anarchistic forms to attempt the society they project through direct, self organized action with others.

Reviewed by Joe Atkins

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Source: http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/featured-nonfiction/anarchism-and-education-a-philosophical-perspective/

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