If Schools Didn't Exist

A Study in the Sociology of Schools

Nils Christie, Lucas Cone, Joachim Wiewiura , Judith Suissa

$85

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

MIT Press
04 August 2020

Cultural studies; Sociology; Philosophy & theory of education; Central government policies

A classic in the philosophy of education, considering the fundamental purpose and function of schools, translated into English for the first time.

A classic in the philosophy of education, considering the fundamental purpose and function of schools, translated into English for the first time.

This classic 1971 work on the fundamental purpose and function of schools belongs on the same shelf as other landmark works of the era, including Ivan Illich's Deschooling Society, Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, and John Holt's How Children Fail. Nils Christie's If School Didn't Exist, translated into English for the first time, departs from these works by not considering schooling (and deschooling) as much as schools and their specific community and social contexts. Christie argues that schools should be proving grounds for how to live together in society rather than assembly lines producing future citizens and employees.

Christie presents three examples of schools in different settings-a French village school that became the bedrock of its community; federal government-run schools for Native Americans that facilitated the experience of inferiority; and a British secondary school that reinforced class stratification. He considers the school's function as a storage space (for an unproductive segment of society), as a means for differentiation (based on merit), and as distributor of knowledge. He introduces the idea of the school-society, a self-governing body of students, teachers, parents, and community; and he offers a vision of a society based on normalizing the needs and values of local communities.

By: Nils Christie
Foreword by: Judith Suissa
Edited by: Lucas Cone, Joachim Wiewiura
Imprint: MIT Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 137mm,
Weight: 368g
ISBN: 9780262538893
ISBN 10: 026253889X
Pages: 232
Publication Date: 04 August 2020
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Nils Christie (1929-2015) was a Norwegian sociologist. Lucas Cone is a PhD Fellow at the Danish School of Education at Aarhus University. Joachim Wiewiura is a PhD Fellow in Philosophy at the Center for Information and Bubble Studies at the University of Copenhagen. Lucas Cone is a PhD Fellow at the Danish School of Education at Aarhus University. Joachim Wiewiura is a PhD Fellow in Philosophy at the Center for Information and Bubble Studies at the University of Copenhagen.