2023, Fox, Stephanie, Boser Hofmann, Lukas, Fox, Stephanie, Boser Hofmann, Lukas

Although traditional philosophy of science is mostly individualistic, in this introductory chapter Stephanie Fox and Lukas Boser argue that science in its core is a social endeavor. To prove their claim, they refer to their own book in which eminent educational scientists and up-and-coming young researchers discuss the concept of ‘national literacies’. This concept was proposed by Viennese professor of education Daniel Tröhler in 2018. It derives from Tröhler’s methodological suggestion to analyze ideological languages in order to get empirically sound knowledge about how educational systems all over the world were supposed to make future citizens for modern nation-states. National literacies are not to be mistaken for the literacy rates in a nation-state, but they are the individual’s ability to make sense of symbols, acts, and signs related to a particular nation and thus to live a meaningful life in this nation. In their introduction, Fox and Boser show that analyzing the nexus of nations, nationalism, and education is highly relevant as it is important in order to understand the functioning and the global aspirations of modern Western educational culture, as well as it is important to analyze national thought styles, which affect all science even though most scientists are not aware of it.

2023, Fox, Stephanie, Boser Hofmann, Lukas, Fox, Stephanie, Boser Hofmann, Lukas

In their concluding chapter the editors of this book, Stephanie Fox and Lukas Boser, reflect on the main arguments and key take-aways presented in each of the book’s chapters. Additionally, based on Micheal Billig’s remarks on gap finding, and gap addressing in scientific research, Fox and Boser also ask what new or hitherto ignored research gaps were identified and probably also addressed by the chapters’ authors. Eventually Fox and Boser argue that, although the book’s 15 chapters do not result in an encompassing theory of ‘national literacies,’ this is not to be seen as a failure. In fact, presenting a new theory has never been the editors nor Daniel Tröhler’s main intention. The concept of ‘national literacies,’ as presented by Tröhler in 2018, was meant to spark curiosity that would lead to more thorough, in-depth, and detailed understanding of the historical nexus of education, nations, and nationalism. In this regard, Fox and Boser conclude, the book is a success.

2023, Fox, Stephanie, Boser Hofmann, Lukas

This edited volume provides an international overview of research on nationalism in education. In light of emerging neo-nationalism and national answers to global challenges, the book contributes to a growing and desperately needed discussion on how we can understand and deal with the involvement of education in phenomena of nations and nationalisms in school, curriculum, theory and research. In this book, internationally renowned scholars as well as doctoral students and postdocs from Asia, Europe, America, and Australia show how the history of education can theoretically and empirically deal with the concept(ion)s of nation and nationalism.