TY - JOUR

T1 - The Absence of ‘race’ in German Discourses on Bildung

T2 - Rethinking Bildung with Critical Race Theory

AU - Wischmann, Anke

PY - 2018/7/4

Y1 - 2018/7/4

N2 - This paper investigates the impact of mostly implicit convictions about ‘white supremacy’ and racist ideas in traditional and recent theories of Bildung which is a central educational concept in Germany. Concepts of Bildung describe processes of individual self-formation. It will be argued that the notion of Bildung is still very important in academic and public discourses on education in general and on educational inequities in particular. It will be argued that the concept of Bildung focuses on a certain understanding of the subject which does not take into account structural inequities in terms of diversity, even though it is omnipresent in discourses on education and diversity in Germany. To show how deeply ingrained in philosophical and political ideas a racialised concept of Bildung is, selected works of Kant, Hegel and Wilhelm von Humboldt on education on the one hand, and on ‘race’ on the other will be analysed by using Critical Race Theory. However, despite this critique concerning the inherent ‘white’ supremacy, the critical potential of Bildung is worth recognising by formulating a critical race perspective on Bildung.

AB - This paper investigates the impact of mostly implicit convictions about ‘white supremacy’ and racist ideas in traditional and recent theories of Bildung which is a central educational concept in Germany. Concepts of Bildung describe processes of individual self-formation. It will be argued that the notion of Bildung is still very important in academic and public discourses on education in general and on educational inequities in particular. It will be argued that the concept of Bildung focuses on a certain understanding of the subject which does not take into account structural inequities in terms of diversity, even though it is omnipresent in discourses on education and diversity in Germany. To show how deeply ingrained in philosophical and political ideas a racialised concept of Bildung is, selected works of Kant, Hegel and Wilhelm von Humboldt on education on the one hand, and on ‘race’ on the other will be analysed by using Critical Race Theory. However, despite this critique concerning the inherent ‘white’ supremacy, the critical potential of Bildung is worth recognising by formulating a critical race perspective on Bildung.

KW - Educational science

KW - Bildung

KW - Critical race theory

KW - migration background

KW - inequities in education

KW - Germany

KW - Philosophy

KW - Gender and Diversity

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84992530222&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/13613324.2016.1248834

DO - 10.1080/13613324.2016.1248834

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 21

SP - 471

EP - 485

JO - Race Ethnicity and Education

JF - Race Ethnicity and Education

SN - 1361-3324

IS - 4

ER -