Encyclopedia of modern political thought

The relation between education and political thought has a long history. Early French sociological thinking regarding the development of a secular „modernist‟ society focused on the importance of education, as in the work of Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) who lectured in both pedagogy and sociology (Turner, 2006, p. 158). Much later, Karl Mannheim (1893–1947) would render education central to his view of social reconstruction and democratic planning. Many would argue that education is not a neutral enterprise. This conception, though generally associated with the work of Paulo Freire (1921-1997) and people he inspired, has been the mantra of several other movements.peer-reviewe