1. Introduction
For modern societies, the meritocratic ideal that access to social positions should not be determined by descent, but rather by the individual's own skills and motivations, is of central importance. It is easy to see and has been shown by numerous empirical studies (see for … 
education
editorial: discrimination
On January 21, 2025, the day after he was sworn in for his second term as President of the United States, Donald Trump signed an executive order titled: "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity" (Exec. Order no. 14,173, 2025). In it, Trump decreed that the "longstanding …
reply: on ‘anti-speciesism’ as an aim in education
Several contributors to this issue address the problem of ‘speciesism’ in education and variously propose ‘anti-speciesism’ as an intervention (Editorial Team, 2023). The term speciesism applies to any doctrine that arbitrarily asserts that members of the species homo sapiens are morally more …
education is not the solution: racism and abuse of power in schools and universities
I remember the image of Professor H., a tall man, very clearly. Dressed in an expensive suit, tie, and patent-leather shoes, he often strutted up and down in the front of the auditorium, and instead of giving a scientific lecture, he bragged about whose hand he had just shaken in Berlin, London or …
editorial: wokeness in education*
Seldom have philosophical claims been so thoroughly and so speedily falsified by history as Francis Fukuyama’s claim that at the end of the Cold War humanity had reached ‘the end of history’ (Fukuyama, 1989; 1992). Rather than “an unabashed victory of economic and political liberalism” and “the …
animal welfare education: promoting a critical and creative dialogue between a zoocentric and an anthropocentric relationship
For several decades, the dominant systems of animal husbandry in Europe have raised numerous ethical concerns: confinement, lack of social relationships, mutilations, production rates... French agricultural education was one of the instruments used in the second half of the 20th century to establish …
rethinking animal ethics through mutual understanding: towards an education of radical responsibility
Challenging animal ethics in education[1. Both authors contributed in equal parts to this article.]
To elaborate on animal ethics in children’s education might seem odd. All the more, since it seems to be common sense that children have a mutually understanding way with animals. So why …
conceal or convey? reflecting on the impact of pedagogical practice on the attitude towards nonhuman animals
Even though vegetarianism and veganism have become more and more mainstream in recent years (at least in the global West), adherents of these diets and lifestyles can still be considered social minorities:[1. This article is based on previously published articles of mine (Giehl, 2018, 2021) and is a …
children’s moral reasoning about animals: implications for development and education
Introduction
The human-animal relationship is complex and multi-faceted. However, this relationship is most often narrowly defined by the human-companion animal bond. This is not surprising, given the very high, and growing number of households with pets in the United States, United Kingdom, …
editorial: animals in education: ethical perspectives
Even for children growing up in (post-)industrial societies and wholly urban environments, animals are – in a way – everywhere. Representations of animals appear in and around many a cradle or child’s bed: teddy bears, tigers, pigs, sharks, crocodiles – there is hardly an animal species (or genus) …
on education of generations in history
I here offer no definitive advice on the subject of education during war. My understanding of public education is shaped primarily by my research of childhood experiences and representations in Ukraine during the collapse of the Soviet state and the aftermath of the Chornobyl disaster of 1986, as …
educating the new soldier in post-fascist Germany: the example of “the soldier’s everyday life” (1957)
1 Introduction
When it comes to the question of education in the context of war, one institution is often overlooked or left out of educational research, namely the military. Even if armies hardly see themselves as 'schools of the nation'[1. The concept of the military as the 'school of the …
redefining school education and the public sphere in the age of globalization
Rapid globalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the 21st century have contributed to transforming education and the public sphere defined by the nation state into a transnational dimension of the public sphere that transcends national boundaries. In particular, the consolidation of …
populism, public education, and a short look at the war
1. Populism
If one is dealing with the subject of public education in a liberal democracy, one must use a language that reaches the public at large and does not confuse them with specialist and technical terminology, in other words a language that is popular that can be understood and used by …
Little Rock, Arkansas. Hannah Arendt, Ralph Ellison and Danielle Allen on education and the public sphere
On September 4, 1957, 15-year-old Elizabeth Eckford set off for Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. She was well aware that she was not wanted there, that she was entering a world in which she should have no place. Three years after the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision Brown v. Board …
editorial: education and the public sphere
Historically, the connection and interplay between education and the public sphere is highly complex. The emergence of public education was closely linked to the transformation of knowledge during the Enlightenment and to the formation of the nation-state. As the "semantic child of the …
digital counter speech and reactance: critical potentials for teaching about racism
Digital counter speech in education
Whether it is a hateful posting in which a minority is disparaged or a propaganda video that combines resentment with fragments of conspiracy-theories, racist hate speech articulated via digital tools and platforms such as YouTube, TikTok or Instagram has …
editorial: how racism works: systemic injustices and the (false) promises of education
Racism constitutes an integral part of contemporary societies. Although there are probably few people who would openly call themselves racist, discrimination and oppression against people marked as non-white or “other” in some way are still omnipresent across the globe. The struggles connected with …
taming algorithms
Students were furious. All over the UK they rallied against a common foe. Their foe reduced their grades from As to Bs, from Bs to Cs and even worse. Many felt that they were treated unjustly. Holding up placards with statements such as “teachers know my potential, algorithms do not” their …
can solidarity be taught?
It was Aide et Action Benin who decided to launch a movement in this country in order to educate the population to donate, to show solidarity with one another, to enable a child who is lost somehow to have access to school. Because here the white person, excuse me, is still perceived as someone who …