Democracies Always in the Making

Barbara J. Thayer-Bacon is professor of philosophy of education in the Cultural Studies of Education masters program and the Learning Environments and Educational Studies doctoral program at the University of Tennessee. Her primary research areas as a philosopher of education are pragmatism, feminist theory and pedagogy, and cultural studies in education.

In this provocative new book, Thayer-Bacon (Univ. of Tennessee) aims to dislodge democratic theory from its reliance on the extreme individualism of John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau and in its place construct a transactional view of democracy that emphasizes epistemological and cultural pluralism and a relational view of selfhood. Drawing from a variety of feminist and postmodern perspectives, she makes a convincing case for a view of democracy that is always incomplete and unfinished, yet nevertheless provides the best orientation for educational (and other social) institutions. Thayer-Bacon accomplishes this by linking critical investigation of key theorists (Jacques Rancière, John Dewey, Paulo Freire, bell hooks, and others) to descriptive analysis of actual school projects, some of which are based on firsthand experience. Her treatment of Myles Horton and Maxine Greene are especially noteworthy. In her effort to canonize some theorists while demonizing others, however, she makes the occasional heavy-handed caricature. The historical record makes it very difficult to see Maria Montessori, for instance, as someone animated by a purely egalitarian spirit. Moreover, Thayer-Bacon's sharp, nearly ad hominem critique of Peter McLaren's work will likely raise eyebrows. Still, it is this contentiousness that will generate good discussion in graduate seminars. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Undergraduates, all levels, and above.

• DedicationAcknowledgmentsPrefaceApproachThe Intended MarketOutstanding Features of the BookIntroductionDemocratic Theory: Out From Under the Yokes of Locke and Rousseau Classical Liberal AssumptionsAssumptions for Democracies Always in the MakingConclusionNotesChapter OneLearning to Trust Students: Rancière and Montessori on DemocracyJacques Rancière and The Ignorant SchoolmasterMaria Montessori and La Casa dei BambiniDemocracies Depend on Relationships of EqualityRancière and Democracies-Always-in-the-MakingNotesChapter TwoConnecting the Home and School to Society: La Casa dei Bambini and the Chicago Lab SchoolMaria Montessori’s Private StoryMaria Montessori’s Casa dei BambiniJohn Dewey and the Chicago Lab SchoolWilliam Heard KilpatrickMontessori and Democracies-Always-in-the-MakingConclusionNotesChapter ThreeTrying to Get Social Justice and Love Together: Highlander Folk School and Central Park EastHighlander Folk SchoolGetting Theory and Practice TogetherLiving What You BelieveNotesChapter FourThe Teacher as a Revolutionary Leader: Freire, McLaren, hooksand the staff at La EscuelaMovimento de Cultura PopularPeter McLaren and the Jane-Finch CorridorBell Hooks, Booker T. Washington and Crispus AttucksCentro Educativo Ixtliyollotl (La Escuela)ConclusionNotesChapter FiveCelebrating the Passions of PluralismThrough the Arts: Maxine Greene, the Center for the Arts, Social Imagination, and Education, and Young Warriors High SchoolMaxine Greene and the Center for the Arts, Social Imagination, and EducationYoung Warriors High SchoolThe Indians’ Hole in Their Hearts and the Importance of Shared Identities Through the ArtsConclusionNotesChapter SixImplications for Schools in Democracies-Always-in-the-Making: ConclusionTheoretical Lessons LearnedPractical Lessons LearnedConclusionReferencesIndexAbout the Author