In a time of rapid and unprecedented social change, the concepts we use to make sense of the ways in which young people understand and interact with the world are very much under the microscope. Some researchers argue that we need to reinvigorate our conceptual repertoire, while others argue that our theoretical tool box still has the capacity to…

Professor Tamura, in her paper "Narrative History and Theory," poses an issue with which the author has lately wrestled. She reviews some of the challenges to the tradition of narrative history presented by "social-scientifically oriented historians" like Fernand Braudel and "analytic philosophers" like Hayden White in the 1960s and 1970s, and…

Civic participation of young people around the world is routinely described in deficit terms, as they are labelled apathetic, devoid of political knowledge, disengaged from the community and self-absorbed. This paper argues that the connectivity of time, space and social values are integral to understanding the performances of young people as…

Educators, not to mention philosophers of education, find themselves in a difficult position nowadays. With the disappearance of the so-called metanarratives, it seems that the secular society has made it difficult, not to say almost impossible, to justify a particular idea of the good life that can be shared by all or at least many. The paper…

Investigates distinctions between the theories of Harold Innis, Marshall McLuhan, and Marx by considering some unresolved problems in how Innis conceptualizes both the historical process and the impact of media on social organization. Argues that certain fundamental notions in Innis' work inaccurately analyze key features of the historical…

This paper defines the "social turn" as a philosophy focused on interaction and social practice, and states that it was fostered in the New Literacy Studies movement as well as 13 other movements, which all argued the importance and definition of the social in their own ways. The paper then discusses the philosophical underpinnings of…

The article considers the contributions of Gee's Discourse theory to the study of multiethnic identity among mixed heritage students. By framing experience within social context, activity, and interaction, I argue that Discourse theory facilitates a conceptualization of ethnic identity as a situated phenomenon emerging at the intersection of the…

Studies two examples of Harold Innis' social theory to show that he had a sophisticated ecological understanding of the many forces at work in social dynamics. Argues that Innis' concept of monopolies of knowledge involved freedom both in elite control of a dominant technology and popular resistance to this dominance. (JD)

The culture of affluent societies in the late 20th century was characterized by French postmodern theorist, Jean Baudrillard, as consisting of "ambient consumerism" in which placement in the social hierarchy depends on acquiring products with a "sign" value conveying messages about status and purchasing power. Discusses…

Discusses Foucault's notion of "heterotopia"--real places but which exist unto themselves, such as a floating ship. Considers data on children's use of computer and video games to apply "heterotopia" to children's everyday social lives. Argues that childhood is subject to increasing boundaries, and that children create…

Discussing various theories about the relationship between the educational process and inequality, the article maintains that in order to understand how unequal educational opportunity is maintained and its relationship to social inequality, how these processes operate in the social organization of the school and in classroom situations must be…

Connecting theory and practice to the moral use of power reveals why social justice, as an educational intervention, is relevant in every era. Social justice requires ongoing struggle and cannot be separated from the educational theories and practices of professionals, schools, academic disciplines, and governmental agents. Insights from John…

This paper presents and discusses a theoretical model that broadens the context for human resource development (HRD) social mandates and provides a process model grounded in self-actualization awareness and thinking that facilitates the individual to go beyond the constraints of potential (as defined by the individual's environment). The model is…