Go West!

The West is a central concept in public discourse, but its meaning is often unclear and open to manifold interpretations and ascriptions of belonging and exclusion: Who is part of the West? When and where is it located? How did its meaning change over space and time? Who are the mediators of the West and what is their interest in terms of culture and education? The West is often used without any critical questioning, though. This is also reflected in history of education research, especially with focus on transnational or transatlantic issues. Here, the West is a sort of container term or fuzzy concept that can refer to a variety of historical entanglements and cultural transfers in school systems and education, but also to conflicts and crises, accordingly. This book aims to stimulate a critical reflection and debate on ideas of the West in the history of education by gathering scholars from various fields of historical research. With a reflexive historical distance to current political incidents, in which ideas of the West are revived, the contributions in this book are intended to enable readers to evaluate representations of the West in current academic or public discourses and debates alike.