Anna Becker - Böcker

This pioneering and innovative study challenges modern assumptions of what constitutes the political and the public in Renaissance thought. Offering gendered readings of a wide array of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century political thinkers, with a particular focus on the two prime thinkers of the early modern state, Niccol- Machiavelli and Jean Bodin, Anna Becker reconstructs a neglected but important classical tradition in political thought. Exploring how 'the political' was incorporated into a wide array of 'private' or 'apolitical' topics by early modern thinkers, Becker demonstrates how both republican and absolutist thinkers - the two poles which organise early modern political thought - relied on gendered justifications. In doing so, she reveals how the foundations of the modern state were significantly shaped by gendered concerns.

Decolonial Epistemologies in Comparative and International Education: Anticipating the Cultural Turn? examines the current state of the field of comparative and international education (CIE) by addressing colonial and Eurocentric structures and advancing a decolonial approach. The chapters integrate frameworks from indigenous epistemologies, racial capitalism, and pluriverse thinking to question and reimagine existing paradigms in CIE. This edited volume interrogates the level of coloniality and racial capitalism present in modern analyses of CIE. As such, the chapter authors unpack questions such as: Is CIE as a field too white? Are its theories and methodologies still too Eurocentric? How do we treat others as we study them? How do we accommodate differences, and how is inclusion dealt with? How might new epistemologies, ontologies, and axiologies help us decolonize the field? Decolonial Epistemologies in Comparative and International Education: Anticipating the Cultural Turn? is valuable for academics in CIE and related fields, practitioners interested in decoloniality in education, administrators and policymakers in higher education, and graduate students in CIE, higher education, and educational leadership. It offers insights into current discussions on decoloniality and education, helping these groups understand and navigate the complexities of these themes in educational contexts.

This book examines language policy in Switzerland to explore how multilingualism is organized, governed, and experienced in everyday life. Focusing on education and public institutions, it shows how a system widely praised for managing linguistic diversity also produces tensions, hierarchies, and unequal forms of participation.Drawing on policy documents and interviews with educators and policymakers, the book traces how federalism, territoriality, and ideas of linguistic equality shape language practices across regions. The chapters examine the growing role of English, the marginalization of heritage languages, and the gap between symbolic recognition and meaningful inclusion. Situating the Swiss case within broader debates on language policy, migration, and social cohesion, the book speaks to scholars, students, and practitioners interested in multilingualism, education policy, and democratic governance.

Anna Becker untersucht anhand der Lebensführung hochqualifizierter Migrantinnen und Migranten idealtypisch die Herausforderungen, mit denen Menschen in Zeiten von Globalisierung, flexibilisierten Arbeitsmärkten und gestiegenen Mobilitätsanforderungen konfrontiert sind. Über die Analyse der Verortungspraktiken von beruflich Mobilen zwischen Entankerung und Wiedereinbettung zeigt die Autorin auf, wie sich soziale Beziehungen unter den Bedingungen von Mobilität, Temporalität und kultureller Vielfalt gestalten und welche Funktionen sozialräumliche Strukturen für lokale und transnationale Einbettung sowie für das Zusammenleben und gesellschaftliche Teilhabe erhalten.

Switzerland is known for its multilingualism, yet not all languages are represented equally in society. The situation is exacerbated by the influx of heritage languages and English through migration and globalization processes which challenge the traditional education system. This study is the first to investigate how schools in Grisons, Fribourg, and Zurich negotiate neoliberal forces leading to a growing necessity of English, a romanticized view on national languages, and the social justice perspective of institutionalizing heritage languages. It uncovers power and legitimacy issues and showcases students' and teachers' complex identities to advocate equitable multilingual education.