This article examines how the concept of active citizenship has been given a neo-liberal character by examining practice in three different educational contexts in Sweden. The concept of active citizenship has become influential in educational policy and practice throughout the European Union. The aim of this article is to highlight concerns at how this concept has come to be re-shaped by neo-liberal principles in Swedish education. The analysis highlights three themes, based on voice, ethical awareness and complexity and mutuality of lived experience, and argues that they provide the basis for a shift away from the present neo-liberal colouring of the concept.
Educational philosophers and sociologists have pointed out the potential risks of an educational trend of therapy, which seems to have connotations with Western macro-discourses of individualisation, popularised psychology and privatisation of the public room. The overall purpose of this article is to discuss potential risks and possibilities regarding moral aspects of therapeutic approaches in education from a teacher perspective. I will present the non-mandatory Swedish topic Livskunskap, life competence education (LCE), in a case study in the field of therapeutic education. The article is based on a small, qualitative empirical study of teachers' experiences of teaching LCE and observations of LCE lessons. The empirical material is analysed through two theoretical lenses, the first being critical aspects of therapeutic education, the second being an educational theory of the ethics of care, mainly developed by Nel Noddings.
One issue in the current school debate concerns the scientific basis of teaching and the question, what kind of scientific research should be central to the everyday work of teachers? A leading thought in this debate seems to relate to the need for research that provides evidence-based answers to the question “what works” in teaching. However, there are risks with allowing a one-sided notion of what kind of scientific basis teachers need. I therefore argue that we need to highlight the importance of other types of research that rather than seeking answers, seek to raise questions. This is important not least in relation to the ethical dimensions of the teaching profession. In a retrospective summary of my own research, I advocate what I would like to refer to as “ethics of incertitude”, while critically examining several of my own contributions. The question in focus is how the everyday practices of teachers serve as the basis for the theoretical work I present.
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