This paper examines Hermann Hesse's penultimate novel, "The Journey to the East", from an educational point of view. Hesse was a man of the West who turned to the idea of "the East" in seeking to understand himself and his society. While highly critical of elements of Western modernism, Hesse nonetheless viewed "the East" through Western lenses…

This paper considers Hermann Hesse's novel, "The Glass Bead Game," in the light of Paulo Freire's educational philosophy. "The Glass Bead Game" is set in Castalia, a "pedagogical province" of the 23rd century. It is argued that the central character in the book, Joseph Knecht, undergoes a complex process of conscientisation. Knecht develops an…

Critiques the technological view of literacy and the traditional assumptions of the consequences and value of literacy. Suggests that these positions view literacy as unitary and inherently beneficial. Argues that reading and writing should be seen as complex social forms intertwined with other elements of human activity. (38 citations) (BCY)