Anarchist Education and The Idea of The Public

Thursday April 30th. Free Entry
Time: 7.00pm at Housmans Bookshop (directions).

This talk will look at some examples of anarchist educational

experiments to explore how adopting what James C. Scott calls an

“anarchist squint” can challenge some dominant ways of thinking

about how notions of “the public” and ideas about “post-capitalist”

and “neo-liberal” imaginaries play out in educational policy and

practice.

Judith Suissa is Professor of Philosophy of Education at UCL

Institute of Education. Her research interests are in political and

moral philosophy, with a focus on anarchist theory, questions of

social justice, radical and libertarian educational traditions,

utopian theory, the role of the state, and parent-child

relationships. Her publications include Anarchism and Education: A

Philosophical Perspective (Routledge, 2006) and (with Stefan

Ramaekers) The Claims of Parenting: Reasons, Responsibility and

Society (Springer, 2012).

Diana Morea-Ghergu Before enrolling on the BA in Education Studies at UCL Institute of Education, Diana was part of the team of co-creators of the

Alternative University, a Romanian educational experiment

self-governed and self-organised by its learners. As the radical

ethos of the Alternative University collapsed under pressures she

felt unable to decode, Diana decided to retreat for a while from the

world of practice in order to explore and reflect on utopias and

dystopias in education. Now in her second year of studies, she is

especially interested in power, authority, resistance and complicity

in radical education.

More on Judith Suissa

Autonomy Now welcomes Judith Suissa to present a philosophical

account of the neglected tradition of anarchist thought on

education. Although few anarchist thinkers wrote systematically on

education, this analysis is based largely on a reconstruction of the

educational thought of anarchist thinkers gleaned from their various

ethical, philosophical and popular writings. Primarily drawing on

the work of the nineteenth century anarchist theorists such as

Bakunin, Kropotkin and Proudhon, Judith’s research also covers

twentieth century anarchist thinkers such as Noam Chomsky, Paul

Goodman, Daniel Guerin and Colin Ward.

Judith Suissa is a senior lecturer in philosophy of education at the

Institute of Education, University of London. Her research and

teaching are mostly in the area of political philosophy, with a

focus on liberal theory, radical theories of education, utopianism,

and the role of the state.

“This is an excellent book that deals with important issues through

the lens of anarchist theories and practices of education . . .[it]

tackles a number of issues that are relevant to anybody who is

trying to come to terms with the philosophy of education.” “Higher

Education Review””

“Suissa’s book is a valuable reminder of the possibilities that

education can offer anarchists and other radicals working towards

social change.” “Anarchist Studies””