The Enlightenment conceptions of pedagogy and global citizenship education: A Canadian case study

Abstract

Contemporary liberal education owes its existence to various educational ideas and pedagogical formulas that emerged from the 18th century intellectual movement known as the Enlightenment. Many Enlightenment conceptions, principles, and practices such as public schooling, equality of opportunity, freedom of expression, critical thinking, scientific methodology, empiricism, and rationality constitute the backbone of current liberal education. Despite this, in recent years, most of these Enlightenment legacies have come into sharp contrast with neoliberalization policies and practices that are plaguing the contemporary educational domains, in general, and the field of higher education, in particular. To what extent are the current institutions of higher learning able to cope with the onslaught of neoliberalization policies and practices? This article explores this question by juxtaposing relevant educational and pedagogical conceptions of the Enlightenment against some of the contemporary challenges and struggles in the field of education.