Conference Agenda

The Hungarian philosopher Agnes Heller reminds us that humans are not just in the world but are crucially born somewhere in the world. We learn a language and acquire cultural habits, and the places we grow up are therefore extremely significant for our becoming as human beings (Heller, 2019, p. 11). The German philosopher J.G. Herder (2004[1774], p. 26) was concerned with the significance of place for human perfection, arguing that place should play a significant role in educational theory. However, theories of Bildung, addressing the process of becoming a subject in the encounter with a material, social and cultural world, have rarely dealt with the significance of place explicitly. Although places situate our experiences with the world, they are seldom at the center of our intellectual scrutiny.

With this background, the double symposium will explore the possibilities of a relationship between Bildung and place. The participants of the symposium are from Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and the educational tradition of Nordic Bildung will therefore be a point of departure for us. Accordingly, the symposium addresses educational features that are unique to the Nordic countries considering our similar languages, educational structures and culture, and shared pedagogical heritage (Solberg, 2021; Bostad & Solberg, 2022). We want to explore Nordic Bildung as an example of the inherent relationship between Bildung and place, not just in the formation of individuals, but also in the formation of theories.

While there are forces in the educational field that pushes towards globalization and standards decontextualized from time and place, we need educational thinking that enables us to reconsider the significance of place for Bildung-processes, without falling back into nationalistic nostalgia (Heller, 2019). Martha Nussbaum (2012) has pointed out how different constructs of place, such as common culture (history and values), blood ties, ethnicity, earth-boundedness, linguistic belonging, and religion, have all been central elements in building national sentiments in Europe. This way of manifesting national belonging has led to the fact that newcomers, regardless of their time of residence, are seldom considered as belonging to the nation. Place thus appears to be a concept presenting possibilities as well as dangers for educational thinking, and the symposium therefore intends to investigate the relationship between place and Bildung as essentially conflicted and paradoxical. We have organized the symposium in two parts, each addressing a particular tension in the relationship between Bildung and place:

1) Bildung: between the familiar and the unknown: Theories of Bildung often refer to the classical Bildung-journey as an image of the Bildung process. Starting off in the familiar landscape of the place she grows up, the young person travels out into the world to meet and deal with the unknown, before returning home more enlightened than before (e.g. Gustavsson 2003). This archetypical image thus implies that both familiarity with what is known as well as openness to the unknown are crucial elements of the Bildung-process. The symposium will elaborate on the dilemma of familiarity and openness in the context of Nordic countries. What does it mean to be familiar with Nordic culture and/or belong to Nordic countries as places, and what does it entail for education to be open towards the world? Central perspectives in this part of the symposium will be the relationship between educating for national and/or local identity versus educating citizens of the world, as well as dilemmas concerning the significance of place for Bildung and sustainability.

Part 2 "Nostalgia:possibilities and dangers" is sent as a symposium application of its own.

The story of the roots of Nordic Bildung is at least twofold. One begins in the Christian and nationalist sentiments of thinkers such as Grundtvig, the other in ancient Greek philosophy. Bildung and Paideia connote the illusive process of human becoming. In this presentation, we will explore a different origin story, in order to sever two connections that are carried over in the “origin stories” of Nordic Bildung. One is the ideal of progress and growth for a particular “folk” embedded in Christian and nationalist sentiments. The other is the dominance of educational thought by philosophy instigated by Plato (Säfström, 2022). These two connections must be overcome in order to be able to conceive of education beyond the ideal of mastery: mastery of man over man, man over nature, and of state over man. The first thread of our alternative story begins at the foot of Yggdrasil where Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld are seated. The three women tend the tree while weaving the thread of destiny for men and gods alike. Without the care of the three Norns, the tree of life would perish and all the worlds along with it, without the threads of destiny no individual history would unfold. The other thread begins with the rise of platonic educational philosophy, in which man is tied to the state and a particular project for education, and where the progress of the state is paramount. The aim of education is to sort and develop in humans the virtues and values necessary for progressing society (Jaeger, 1943; Säfström, 2022). This idea displaced the sophistic ideal of plurality in and of languages and between people. It inserted an ideal of oneness in which “the city/soul functions like the body” (Cassin, 2014, p. 123), and the parts “conspire to become whole” (p. 123). Hence, plurality as well as individual becoming are subsumed under the ideal of oneness and progress of the state. Sophistical practice, however, insists on more than one, and the possibility “of interpreting the ‘same’ not as a ‘one’ but as a ‘with’” (p. 124). The caring ideal of the three Norns, and the sophistic ideal of plurality (Säfström, 2022), may open a path for Nordic Bildung where the plurality of tongues (languages and identities) do not descend into mere strife or nationalist sentiment, but can become precisely ‘more than one’, in caring for the common.

Cassin, B. (2014). Sophistical Practice. Toward a Consistent Relativism. Fordham University Press. Grundtvig, N.F.S.(1983). Statsmæssig oplysning. Nyt Nordisk Forlag Arnold Busck. Jaeger, W. (1943/1986). Paideia. The Ideas of Greek Culture. Vol II. In Search of the Divine Order. Oxford University Press. Säfström, C. A. (2021). Please, show me your world! A sophistical practice of teaching. Revista de Educación, 395,pp. 35-58. Doi: 10.4438/1988-592X-RE-2022-395-521.

Although the ideal of authenticity can be traced back to thinkers such as Augustine and Rousseau, it gained prominence in the Nordic tradition of folk-Bildung by virtue of the German philosopher J. G. Herder. Herder is best known for his polemics against Kant’s idea of pure reason, arguing instead that reason is deeply embedded in the particularities of places – in languages and histories. In Herder’s (2002[1774]) view, nations, communities, and individuals, would have to find their own authentic cultivation processes towards humanity. Ideas about authenticity as an equally anthropological and communitarian potential, gained momentum in the era of nation-building and folk-Bildung in Nordic societies. Today, however, authenticity is scarcely discussed as an explicit ideal for Bildung. This presentation will discuss whether authenticity should be considered relevant for normative pedagogical theory today and (re-)establishing theoretical connections to Bildung and place. Charles Taylor (1991) has argued for authenticity as a modern virtue. However, Taylor argues that authenticity as an ideal has the potential of creating both subverted and elevated forms of self-fulfillment. For instance, if not to be subverted into narcissism, authenticity needs orientation towards “horizons of significance”, that is, sources of meaning and morality that exist independent of an individual. Based on Taylor, we argue that a Bildung-theory that values authenticity must be orientated towards such “horizons of significance”, located in language communities. This way, the concepts of Bildung, authenticity, and place become substantially connected. Still, the archetypical image of the Bildung journey implies a dialectical movement between two features: inauguration into what is known as well as openness and transcendence to the unknown. If authenticity is associated with being faithful to something original, it mainly emphasizes the first part of the Bildung-process. What we refer to as “horizons of significance” must be possible to criticize and transcend – if Bildung is not to be subverted into reactionism. We will thus explore the concept of alienation (Jaeggi, 2014) as a necessary aspect of an authenticity-based Bildung-theory. Finally, we will discuss the potential that lies in the communitarian aspects of Taylors theory when re-imagining Nordic Bildung. For Taylor (1995, 2016), the development of individual morality is constituted by language communities. The presentation discusses possibilities and pitfalls that lie in understanding authenticity as not only an individual, but also a communitarian Bildung-ideal. Lastly, we will question whether Taylors communitarianism can sufficiently guard against destructive nationalist tendencies in wanting to re-imagine Nordic Bildung.

Herder, J. G. (2002[1774]). Endnu en historiefilosofi til menneskehedens dannelse. Det lille forlag. Jaeggi, R. (2014). Alienation. Columbia University Press. Taylor, C. (1991). Autentisitetens etikk. Cappelens Upopulære Taylor, C. (1995). Philosophical arguments. Harvard University Press Taylor, C. (2016). The Language Animal. Harvard University Press

The paper explores the relationship between place and Bildung, by asking the question of whether education for patriotism is legitimate from a liberal democratic perspective, and consistent with the liberal conception of autonomy. Martha Nussbaum argues that liberal democracies that aspire to be just are dependent on emotional support from its citizens. Liberal principles, such as respect, equality, liberty, and justice, need to be supported by political emotions, such as compassion and empathy. She claims that education for patriotism, based on stories, heroes, and events, situated in our local contexts, will stimulate the kind of emotions liberal institutions need for support (Nussbaum, 2013). I agree that the stability of modern liberal democracies and liberal institutions need emotional support, and that good emotions should be developed through education. However, given the fact that most of us do not choose our national belongings, and that many citizens of liberal societies have multiply identities, and citizenships, it can be argued that education for patriotism violates democratic principles of legitimacy and autonomy (Brighouse 2007; BenPorat 2007). Patriotism has also been an important tool for nation building, resulting in losses of minority identity, culture, and language. I therefore argue that education for patriotism should be combined with exercises that stimulate critical thinking. In cases of conflict between the values of your local community and the nation, one should not need to put one’s local identity aside. Local identities can be used as a source for critical reflection on dominant conceptions, narratives, and values (Ben Porath 2007, Williams 2007). Drawing on theories of citizenship as “shared fate”, I argue that education for liberal democracies needs to take the student’s different social positions into account and allow for different interpretations of national symbols, narratives, and values. Education for patriotism needs to be responsive to the fact that shared national institutions and values have affected minority groups differently, and that we do not interpret institutions, and the values they are based on, in similar ways. I am using the situation of the Samì people in the Nordic countries to frame the discussion and to support my claims.

Brighouse. H. (2007). Should We Teach Patriotic History? In McDonough, K and Feinberg, W, Citizenship and Education in Liberal – Democratic Societies. Oxford University Press. Ben – Porath. S. (2007). Civic Virtue out of necessity: Patriotic and democratic education. Theory and Research in education, 5(1),, pp. 41-59. Sage publication https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1477878507073608 Nussbaum, M (2013). Political Emotion – Why Love Matters for Justice. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

This paper addresses the significance of place by considering the potential of Bildung for dealing with sustainability and solidarity. I consider Bildung in the sense of developing joint action competence (Mogensen, F., & Schnack, K., 2010)). Inspired by the German educational thinker Wolfgang Klafki’s critical constructive theory of Bildung, the aim is to develop abilities of self-determination, co-determination, and solidarity (Klafki, 1983). I will define place as formed by a dialectical relationship between individuals, the outside world, action and meaning, where students dealing with real-world problems, like climate change, can develop action competence. I will argue that Bildung for sustainability requires joint action competence in a specific place, and I will illustrate my argument with the example of the Danish folk high school Tvind. Tvind became internationally known for constructing the world’s tallest and most technologically advanced wind turbine in the 1970s (Lund, 2020). Like other folk high schools in Denmark, Tvind was based on the ideas of the Danish theologian, poet, and educational thinker N.F. Grundtvig. Historically, the folk high school played a significant role in developing a national democracy. At Tvind, however, these ideas were combined with developments in critical pedagogy emphasising international solidarity and environmental sustainability. Building the windmill was a pedagogical act, rooted in a place and an environmental discourse. The construction of the windmill represented a manifest ideal of renewable energy, as part of a growing opposition to A-power, resulting in a new environmental movement that subsequently impacted environmental policies in Denmark. Inspired by Klafki, Tvind illustrates a valid perspective on Bildung for sustainability, by fostering students ability to co-determination and solidarity while dealing with the epochal key problem sustainable energy (Klafki, 1983). However, these ideas developed in intersection with, but also in tension with, place-bound Grundtvigian thinking. Furthermore, Tvind was known as “the travelling folk high school”. The idea was that the students should develop action competence and the feeling of international solidarity by travelling around the world. Therefore, young Danes were sent to third world countries, turning - as a result - the folk high school into a globalized forum addressing third-world problems and poverty. In this sense Tvind exemplifies tensions of the global and local in theories of Bildung, as well as the travelling metaphor of Bildung.

Lund, B. (2020). Bæredygtighed og handlekompetence – et velkommen tilbage til 70’erne? Forskning og Forandring, 3(2), pp. 47-68. Grundtvig, N.F.S(1848) Folkeligheden in NS:FS: ed Danskeren et ugeblad. Første årgang (p 381 -384) F.H. Eibe Klafki, W. (1983). Kategorial dannelse og kritisk-konstruktiv pædagogik. Kbh: Nyt Nordisk Forlag Mogensen, F., & Schnack, K. (2010). The Action Competence Approach and the “New” Discourses of Education for Sustainable Development, Competence and Quality Criteria. Environmental Education Research, 16, pp. 59-74.