Dewey's Democracy as Spatial Practice: Democratic Citizenship and the Potential Efficacy of Education

• In Event: Democratic Citizenship in Education 2016

Abstract

John Dewey, in his Democracy and Education, explained democracy as an associated way of living, as a social space defined by the practices conducted within and through the conjoined activities of the people. Relatedly, in this paper the author examines the nature of democratic schools as social space; a practiced place wherein students and adults define the place of school through spatial practices. Importantly, the author examines democratic spatial practice using Dewey’s ideas of democracy as the foundation for democratic citizenship transforming the space of school into a democratically practiced place.

Author

• Patrick M. Jenlink, Stephen F. Austin State University