"The History of Education Is the History of Writing": Education and Cultural Techniques

• In Event: 66.088 - Sheraton Roundtable 13 - Osgoode Ballroom
  In Roundtable Session: 66.088-2 - Multimodal Analysis of History

Abstract

Histories of educational theories, forms and practices have traditionally focused on canonical texts and terms, often beginning with those of Hellenic Greece. However, in recent years, scholars have highlighted the accomplishments of non-western cultures, such as those of the Ottoman Empire or traditional China. Looking to the ancient Middle East, this paper considers the ways in which the practices and techniques that we associate with education and schooling today can be traced to sources very different from Ancient Greece or Medieval Europe. It seeks to challenge established albeit largely implicit histories of education, narratives that locate the origins of educational practices and techniques in the non-/pre-literate phenomenon of apprenticeship or in histories of terms and ideas.

Author

• Norm Friesen, Boise State University