2019, Hofmann, Michèle, Boser Hofmann, Lukas, Caruso, Marcelo

In this paper, we analyse the struggle for a unified style of writing in primary schools in the German-speaking part of Switzerland between the 1860s and the first decades of the twentieth century with regard to the contexts in which this struggle was embedded. In the late-nineteenth century, in German-speaking Switzerland, as in other parts of the German-speaking realm, a controversy emerged regarding whether general writing practices (handwriting and print) should adhere to the traditional Gothic script and typefaces called Fraktur or whether such practices should change in favour of the Latin script and typefaces called Antiqua. This controversy was fuelled by economic arguments (Latin script was used in international commerce), scientific arguments (the question of which type- face was “healthier” emerged), and arguments questioning which cultural liaisons should be upheld or even strengthened (Antiqua was identified with Romance and English languages and cultures, whereas Fraktur was identified with German language and culture). In German-speaking Switzerland, as a part of a multilingual country, the latter was particularly important because this question of cultural allegiance was expressed by the basic cultural practice of writing.

2019, Hofmann, Michèle, Boser Hofmann, Lukas, Haas, Stefan, Schneider, Michael, Bilo, Nicolas

2018, Boser Hofmann, Lukas, Hofmann, Michèle, De Vincenti, Andrea, Grube, Norbert

2016, Boser Hofmann, Lukas, Hofmann, Michèle, Ruloff, Michael, Hadjar, Andreas

In 1799, the Ministry of Education led by Philipp Albert Stapfer gathered data on a large variety of issues concerning the education system in the Helvetic Republic. The main objective of this paper is to demonstrate how the Stapfer inquiry as a historical data source can be analyzed employing techniques of quantitative data analysis. Two research questions were considered: How did school fees and distance to school impact school attendance at the time? Before presenting analyses and results, strengths and limitations of the Stapfer inquiry from the historical and the social science perspective are discussed followed by a conceptual elaboration of the research issues. The database for our analysis is a sample drawn from the Stapfer inquiry that consists of 104 schools. Results show that whereas the existence of school fees does not seem to have had an impact, the distance to school had a negative impact on school attendance.

2019, Boser Hofmann, Lukas, Brühwiler, Ingrid, Hofmann, Michèle, Westberg, Johannes, Boser Hofmann, Lukas, Brühwiler, Ingrid

In this chapter, the authors raise the question of what makes the Swiss case worth presenting to an international audience. They argue that Switzerland is an interesting case because Swiss formal education lacks much of the structural systematization a system of mass schooling is expected to have. A close examination of the formal schooling in Switzerland reveals that every canton is given the autonomy to organize primary and most of secondary education. School structures and school legislation are mainly cantonal affairs, not guided by centralized agency or national body of law. However, given that similarities undoubtedly exist between those cantonal school systems, it is important to examine how those similarities came into being, as it is likely that the cantons are not as independent in their decision-making as it might appear at a first glance.

2018-11-30, Hofmann, Michèle, Boser Hofmann, Lukas

2017-10-12, Hofmann, Michèle, Boser Hofmann, Lukas, Brühwiler, Ingrid

2019, Boser Hofmann, Lukas, Caruso, Marcelo, Hofmann, Michèle

Writing (and its shape in particular) is given attention in this special issue in order to analyze multi-layered challenges of modern schooling, ranging from pedagogical to ideological and national ones. Focus is given to writing systems (including the aspect of graphic design), writing ideologies, writing practices and the role they play in the complex social construction and representations of national, regional, cultural, and individual identities. The authors contributing to this special issue analyze when and why nations, institutions, or individuals decided or were forced to change writing systems, aiming to elucidate the cultural and educational implications of those reforms. In this vein, the articles included in this special issue also focus on the social, cultural, and historical embeddedness of writing and writing systems, and on the role that education in general and schooling in particular has played in this process.

2018-09-21, Hofmann, Michèle, Boser Hofmann, Lukas

2016, Boser Hofmann, Lukas, Boser Hofmann, Lukas, Hofmann, Michèle, Bühler, Patrick, Müller, Philippe