Democratic Education and the Public Sphere Towards John Dewey’s theory of aesthetic experience New Directions in the Philosophy of Education Series

This book considers John Dewey?s philosophy of democratic education and his theory of public sphere from the perspective of the reconstruction and redefinition of the dominant liberalist movement. By bridging art education and public sphere, and drawing upon contemporary mainstream philosophies, Ueno urges for the reconceptualization of the education of mainstream liberalism and indicates innovative visions on the public sphere of education.

Focusing on Dewey?s theory of aesthetic education as an origin of the construction of public sphere, chapters explore his art education practices and involvement in the Barnes Foundation of Philadelphia, clarifying the process of school reform based on democratic practice. Dewey searched for an alternative approach to public sphere and education by reimagining the concept of educational right from a political and ethical perspective, generating a collaborative network of learning activities, and bringing imaginative meaning to human life and interaction. This book proposes educational visions for democracy and public sphere in light of Pragmatism aesthetic theory and practice.

Democratic Education and the Public Sphere will be key reading for academics, researchers and postgraduate studies in the fields of the philosophy of education, curriculum theory, art education, and educational policy and politics. The book will also be of interest to policy makers and politicians who are engaged in educational reform.

Prologue: A perspective to democratic education and the public sphere. 1. Democracy and the Public Sphere: A critique of liberalism and its politics. 2. Creating Dialogical Communities in Schools: Education and politics. 3. Education, Democracy, and the Public Sphere: The transformation of liberalism. 4. Education for a Changing Society: Schools as agencies of public action. 5. Bridging Aesthetic Experience and the Public Sphere. 6. Education through Art and Democracy: Dewey’s art education project at the Barnes Foundation. 7. Education for Democracy and Civil Liberties. Epilogue: Democratic education and the public sphere: Towards Dewey’s theory of aesthetic experience

Masamichi Ueno is Professor of Education at Daito Bunka University, Japan, Visiting Professor at Shandong Normal University, University of Jinan and Northwest University, China and President of the Institute of East Asian Education.