Creative Democracy? The Task of School in Times of Populism

• In Event: Dewey and Philosophical Inquiries in Democracy

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to problematize John Dewey’s view of democracy in “Creative Democracy: The Task Before Us” (1939) through a comparative study on the meaning of citizenship education in curricula in light of the present populist tendencies in the US and Sweden, both sharing a self-image of being strong democracies. Two research questions are explored: What emphasis of citizenship education emerges in curricula for 15 year-olds? What strengths and weaknesses in relation to populism does Dewey’s conception of democracy offer? A conclusion drawn is that Dewey’s statement that free interaction of individual human beings needs to be based on “knowledge of conditions as they are” constitutes a basic condition for avoiding the lapse of democracy into populism.

Author

• Ninni Wahlstrom, Linnaeus University