Michael S Merry
Biographic Data
| ID | 494624 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Michael S Merry |
| GIVEN NAMES | Michael S |
| FAMILY NAME | Merry |
| SIGNATURE | MERRY M S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Amsterdam |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2428-3901 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 37 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 167 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 37 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 8 |
Can schools and libraries curb the functional illiteracy crisis? Insights from the Netherlands
Contains fulltext : 319760.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)
Caught in a school choice quandary: What should an equity-minded parent do
In this article, I examine a case involving an equity-minded parent caught in a quandary about which school to select for her child, knowing that her decision may have consequences for others. To do so, I heuristically construct a fictional portrait and explore the deliberative process a parent might have through a dialogue taking place among ‘friends’, where each friend personifies a different set of ethical considerations. I then briefly consid…
Doth He Protest Too Much? Thoughts on Matthew's Black Devaluation Thesis
I am broadly sympathetic to D. C. Matthew's analysis. However, in what follows, I restrict my remarks to a few areas where I think he either lacks empirical precision, or overstates his case
Retooling the public library as social infrastructure: A Dutch illustration
Contains fulltext : 236679.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access
Majority-minority Educational Success Sans Integration: A Comparative-International View
Strategies for tackling educational inequality take many forms, though perhaps the argument most often invoked is school integration. Yet whatever the promise of integration may be, its realization continues to be hobbled by numerous difficulties. In this paper we examine what many of these difficulties are. Yet in contrast to how many empirical researchers frame these issues, we argue that while educational success in majority-minority schools w…
The correlation of ABMP and RV dysfunction detected by speckle tracing in obese hypertensive patients
Background: Obesity significantly raises the risk of high blood pressure as well as heart conditions. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is a reliable way to diagnose and manage hypertension, providing more accurate predictions for cardiovascular results than standard office readings. Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction, evaluated using speckle tracking echocardiography, is becoming a new indicator of cardiovascular risk. Objective: To in…
What is an appropriate educational response to controversial historical monuments
There are many things that can be done to educate young people about historical monuments in schools. At the same time, however, we argue that there is little warrant for optimism concerning the educational potential of classroom instruction given the institutional constraints under which school teachers must labour. For these reasons, we think it best to expand the scope of educational possibilities one is willing to consider
On Making Up Our Mind: What School Choice Is Really About
Educational inequality and state-sponsored elite education: The case of the Dutch gymnasium
In this paper the authors examine the role the Dutch gymnasium continues to play in the institutional maintenance of educational inequality. To that end they examine the relational and spatial features of state-sponsored elite education in the Dutch system: the unique identity the gymnasium seeks to cultivate; its value to its consumers; its geographic significance; and its market position amidst a growing array of other selective forms of school…
Can schools teach citizenship
In this essay I question the liberal faith in the efficacy and morality of citizenship education (CE) as it has been traditionally (and is still) practiced in most public state schools. In challenging institutionalized faith in CE, I also challenge liberal understandings of what it means to be a citizen, and how the social and political world of citizens is constituted. I interrogate CE as defended in the liberal tradition, with particular attent…
Development and validation of the Religious Collective Self-Esteem Scale for Children
This study aimed to validate a Religious Collective Self-Esteem Scale (RCSES) that assesses children’s evaluations and judgments about their belonging to a religious group. The RCSES includes 3 subscales: Private Religious Self-Esteem (PrRSE), Public Religious Self-Esteem (PuRSE), and Importance to Religious Identity (RI). Data were gathered from students in 39 primary schools (9 Reformed Protestant, 9 Islamic, 3 Hindu and 18 public schools) acro…
Indoctrination, Islamic schools, and the broader scope of harm
Many philosophers argue that religious schools are guilty of indoctrinatory harm. I think they are right to be worried about that. But in this article, I will postulate that there are other harms for many individuals that are more severe outside the religious school. Accordingly the full scope of harm should be taken into account when evaluating the harm that some religious schools may do. Once we do that, I suggest, justice may require that we c…
Schools, Religious
Religious schools have existed for centuries, and continue to have surprising staying power, even in state‐financed and managed systems. The differences between religious schools continue to be significant, as are the reasons parents give for preferring them. Criticisms brought against religious schools, too, are varied, though it remains unclear whether each of these criticisms is valid, or, for that matter, uniquely applicable to religious scho…
Reply to my critics
In this reply I respond to criticisms offered by Richard Harris, Ludi Simpson, Ron Johnson and Nissa Finney as it concerns my book, Equality, Citizenship and Segregation: a defense of separation
Community, virtue and the White British poor
Whilst media and political rhetoric in Britain is sceptical and often outright damning of the (presumed) morals and behaviours of the White marginalized poor, our aim is to explore the conditions under which successful communities are nevertheless built. Specifically, we examine the features of community and stress its importance both for belonging and bonding around shared norms and practices and for fostering the necessary bridging essential fo…
A response to commentaries on Community, Virtue and the White British Poor
Is the liberal defense of public schools a fantasy
In this paper, we offer a Leftist critique of standard liberal defenses of the public school. We suggest that the standard arguments employed by mainstream liberal defenders of the public school are generally inadequate because they fail to provide a credible representation of their historical object, let alone effective remedies to our current problems. Indeed, many of these narratives, in our view, are grounded in fantasies about what public sc…
Teachers’ Understanding of Multicultural Education and the Correlates of Multicultural Content Integration in Flanders
The bulk of scholarship on multicultural education continues to focus exclusively on U.S. education. Previous studies published in this field also have focused largely on topics that are considered relevant for the United States, whereas little attention has been paid to topics that are less problematized in the United States. In this mixed-method study, we explore teachers’ understanding of multicultural education in Flanders (Belgium), and we e…
On the right track? Islamic schools in the Netherlands after an era of turmoil
The Netherlands currently has 43 Islamic primary schools. Each is fully subsidised by the government. Yet since the first school was established in 1988 Islamic schools have been confronted with obstacles by the Ministry of Education, bad press and increasingly strict state supervision. Under pressure to improve their image, since 2008 Dutch Islamic primary schools have turned their attention away from expanding their numbers and instead focussed…
The conundrum of religious schools in twenty-first-century Europe
In this paper Merry examines in detail the continued – and curious – popularity of religious schools in an otherwise ‘secular’ twenty-first century Europe. To do this he considers a number of motivations underwriting the decision to place one's child in a religious school and delineates what are likely the best empirically supported explanations for the continued dominant position of Protestant and Catholic schools. He then argues that institutio…
Gender, Ethnicity, Religiosity, and Same-sex Sexual Attraction and the Acceptance of Same-sex Sexuality and Gender Non-conformity
Equality on Different Terms: The Case of Dutch Hindu Schools
In this article the authors examine the reasons for the establishment of Hindu schools in the Netherlands and how the Dutch system of education facilitates these and other voluntarily separate schools. In particular, the authors explore the manner in which Hindu schools aim to cultivate and sustain attachments to their own group through a culturally specific approach to learning and belonging that promises greater educational equality. The author…
Equality, self‐respect and voluntary separation
This paper argues that self‐respect constitutes an important value, and further, an important basis for equality. It also argues that under conditions of inequality‐producing segregation, voluntary separation in schooling may be more likely to provide the resources necessary for self‐respect. A prima facie case of voluntary separation for stigmatized minorities when equality - as equal status and treatment - is not an option under either the term…
Restricted Liberty, Parental Choice and Homeschooling: Restricted Liberty, Parental Choice and Homeschooling
In this paper the authors carefully study the problem of liberty as it applies to school choice, and whether there ought to be restricted liberty in the case of homeschooling. They examine three prominent concerns that might be brought against homeschooling, viz., that it aggravates social inequality, worsens societal conflict and works against the best interests of children. To examine the tensions that occur between parental liberty, children’s…
Cosmopolitanism and the deeply religious
The authors provide a defence of cosmopolitanism from a liberal perspective, examining its moral underpinnings, including moral obligations predicated on a belief in common humanity and the fundamental dignity of human people, cultural capacities that include an embrace of pluralism and a fallibilist disposition, and pragmatist resolve in finding humanitarian solutions to real problems that people face. The authors also scrutinise the ideal of co…
Teachers’ Understanding of Multicultural Education and the Correlates of Multicultural Content Integration in Flanders
The bulk of scholarship on multicultural education continues to focus exclusively on U.S. education. Previous studies published in this field also have focused largely on topics that are considered relevant for the United States, whereas little attention has been paid to topics that are less problematized in the United States. In this mixed-method study, we explore teachers’ understanding of multicultural education in Flanders (Belgium), and we e…
Retooling the public library as social infrastructure: A Dutch illustration
Contains fulltext : 236679.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access
Educational inequality and state-sponsored elite education: The case of the Dutch gymnasium
In this paper the authors examine the role the Dutch gymnasium continues to play in the institutional maintenance of educational inequality. To that end they examine the relational and spatial features of state-sponsored elite education in the Dutch system: the unique identity the gymnasium seeks to cultivate; its value to its consumers; its geographic significance; and its market position amidst a growing array of other selective forms of school…
The conundrum of religious schools in twenty-first-century Europe
In this paper Merry examines in detail the continued – and curious – popularity of religious schools in an otherwise ‘secular’ twenty-first century Europe. To do this he considers a number of motivations underwriting the decision to place one's child in a religious school and delineates what are likely the best empirically supported explanations for the continued dominant position of Protestant and Catholic schools. He then argues that institutio…
Gender, Ethnicity, Religiosity, and Same-sex Sexual Attraction and the Acceptance of Same-sex Sexuality and Gender Non-conformity
Patriotism, History and the Legitimate Aims of American Education
This article argues that while an attachment to one's country is both natural and even partially justifiable, cultivating loyal patriotism in schools is untenable insofar as it conflicts with the legitimate aims of education. These aims include the epistemological competence necessary for ascertaining important truths germane to the various disciplines; the cultivation of critical thinking skills (i.e. the ability to even-handedly consider counte…
Islamic schools in three western countries: Policy and procedure
In this article, the authors compare Islamic schools in three countries: the United States, the Netherlands, and Belgium. In each country, the authors take care to situate Islamic schools within the broader context of educational policy and practice. In particular, the authors examine the mechanisms for funding, choice and control, noting that for reasons specific to each context monitoring either by the state or accrediting agencies poses both c…
Restricted Liberty, Parental Choice and Homeschooling: Restricted Liberty, Parental Choice and Homeschooling
In this paper the authors carefully study the problem of liberty as it applies to school choice, and whether there ought to be restricted liberty in the case of homeschooling. They examine three prominent concerns that might be brought against homeschooling, viz., that it aggravates social inequality, worsens societal conflict and works against the best interests of children. To examine the tensions that occur between parental liberty, children’s…
Equality on Different Terms: The Case of Dutch Hindu Schools
In this article the authors examine the reasons for the establishment of Hindu schools in the Netherlands and how the Dutch system of education facilitates these and other voluntarily separate schools. In particular, the authors explore the manner in which Hindu schools aim to cultivate and sustain attachments to their own group through a culturally specific approach to learning and belonging that promises greater educational equality. The author…
On the right track? Islamic schools in the Netherlands after an era of turmoil
The Netherlands currently has 43 Islamic primary schools. Each is fully subsidised by the government. Yet since the first school was established in 1988 Islamic schools have been confronted with obstacles by the Ministry of Education, bad press and increasingly strict state supervision. Under pressure to improve their image, since 2008 Dutch Islamic primary schools have turned their attention away from expanding their numbers and instead focussed…
Can schools teach citizenship
In this essay I question the liberal faith in the efficacy and morality of citizenship education (CE) as it has been traditionally (and is still) practiced in most public state schools. In challenging institutionalized faith in CE, I also challenge liberal understandings of what it means to be a citizen, and how the social and political world of citizens is constituted. I interrogate CE as defended in the liberal tradition, with particular attent…
Complexities of Belonging in Democratic and Democratizing Societies: Islamic Identity, Ethnicity and Citizenship in the Netherlands and Aceh
In this paper we will explore the purported tension that lies between one's so-called Islamic identity and the demands of civic identity—seen as proof of "integration"—in liberal democratic societies, and show that the relationship is philosophically and existentially more complex than advocates of the "clash of civilizations" thesis or "democratic Islam" admit. To this end, we will explore the historical experience of two Muslim communities, one…
Constructing an Authentic Self: The Challenges and Promise of African‐Centered Pedagogy
African‐centered pedagogy aims to cultivate a positive and productive culturally based identity for Black children, and African‐centered schools endeavor to supply that cultural base, placing the history, culture, and life experiences of individuals of African descent at the center of everything that they do. Our study examines the historical contexts in which African‐centered education has emerged and the justification for racially separate scho…
Equality, self‐respect and voluntary separation
This paper argues that self‐respect constitutes an important value, and further, an important basis for equality. It also argues that under conditions of inequality‐producing segregation, voluntary separation in schooling may be more likely to provide the resources necessary for self‐respect. A prima facie case of voluntary separation for stigmatized minorities when equality - as equal status and treatment - is not an option under either the term…
What is an appropriate educational response to controversial historical monuments
There are many things that can be done to educate young people about historical monuments in schools. At the same time, however, we argue that there is little warrant for optimism concerning the educational potential of classroom instruction given the institutional constraints under which school teachers must labour. For these reasons, we think it best to expand the scope of educational possibilities one is willing to consider
Why Education in Public Schools Should Include Religious Ideals
This article aims to open a new line of debate about religion in public schools by focusing on religious ideals. The article begins with an elucidation of the concept ‘religious ideals’ and an explanation of the notion of reasonable pluralism, in order to be able to explore the dangers and positive contributions of religious ideals and their pursuit on a liberal democratic society. We draw our examples of religious ideals from Christianity and Is…
Embedded Identities and Dialogic Consensus: Educational implications from the communitarian theory of Bhikhu Parekh
In this article the author will investigate the extent to which Bhikhu Parekh believes that a person's cultural/religious background must be preserved and whether, by implication, religious schooling is justified by his theory. His discussion will explore—by inference and implication—whether Parekh's carefully crafted multiculturalism, enriched and illuminated by numerous practical insights, is socially tenable. The author will also consider whet…
Community, virtue and the White British poor
Whilst media and political rhetoric in Britain is sceptical and often outright damning of the (presumed) morals and behaviours of the White marginalized poor, our aim is to explore the conditions under which successful communities are nevertheless built. Specifically, we examine the features of community and stress its importance both for belonging and bonding around shared norms and practices and for fostering the necessary bridging essential fo…
Is the liberal defense of public schools a fantasy
In this paper, we offer a Leftist critique of standard liberal defenses of the public school. We suggest that the standard arguments employed by mainstream liberal defenders of the public school are generally inadequate because they fail to provide a credible representation of their historical object, let alone effective remedies to our current problems. Indeed, many of these narratives, in our view, are grounded in fantasies about what public sc…
Cultural Coherence and the Schooling for Identity Maintenance
An education for cultural coherence tends to the child's well-being through identity construction and maintenance. Critics charge that this sort of education will not bode well for the future autonomy of children. I will argue that culturally coherent education, provided there is no coercion, can lend itself to eventual autonomy and may assist minority children in countering the negative stereotypes and discrimination they face in the larger soci…
Islam versus (liberal) pluralism? A response to Ahmad Yousif
The aims of liberalism—which is often confused with value pluralism—are routinely challenged by persons whose primary commitments lie elsewhere. In his weighing the pros and cons of liberal democratic states versus an Islamic state, Ahmad Yousif has offered an impressive challenge to liberals, but in doing so has confused the aims of liberalism with the pre‐liberal nation‐state ideal. In this article, I will challenge his conclusions by demonstra…
Islam versus (liberal) pluralism? A response to Ahmad Yousif
The aims of liberalism—which is often confused with value pluralism—are routinely challenged by persons whose primary commitments lie elsewhere. In his weighing the pros and cons of liberal democratic states versus an Islamic state, Ahmad Yousif has offered an impressive challenge to liberals, but in doing so has confused the aims of liberalism with the pre‐liberal nation‐state ideal. In this article, I will challenge his conclusions by demonstra…
The Ethics of Identity
Appiah’s latest book does something distinctive: it shows why we need to take another look at very familiar dimensions of identity, those dimensions of our personhood that encompass cultural loyalties, moral responsibilities towards others, and the ethical life. Indeed, Appiah’s book is a kind of answer to an ancient Socratic question, that is, what sort of person one aims to be. The Ethics of Identity is an apt title, for the arguments contained…
Cultural Coherence and the Schooling for Identity Maintenance
An education for cultural coherence tends to the child's well-being through identity construction and maintenance. Critics charge that this sort of education will not bode well for the future autonomy of children. I will argue that culturally coherent education, provided there is no coercion, can lend itself to eventual autonomy and may assist minority children in countering the negative stereotypes and discrimination they face in the larger soci…
Islamic schools in three western countries: Policy and procedure
In this article, the authors compare Islamic schools in three countries: the United States, the Netherlands, and Belgium. In each country, the authors take care to situate Islamic schools within the broader context of educational policy and practice. In particular, the authors examine the mechanisms for funding, choice and control, noting that for reasons specific to each context monitoring either by the state or accrediting agencies poses both c…
Embedded Identities and Dialogic Consensus: Educational implications from the communitarian theory of Bhikhu Parekh
In this article the author will investigate the extent to which Bhikhu Parekh believes that a person's cultural/religious background must be preserved and whether, by implication, religious schooling is justified by his theory. His discussion will explore—by inference and implication—whether Parekh's carefully crafted multiculturalism, enriched and illuminated by numerous practical insights, is socially tenable. The author will also consider whet…
The well-being of children, the limits of paternalism, and the state: Can disparate interests be reconciled
For many, it is far from clear where the prerogatives of parents to educate as they deem appropriate end and the interests of their children, immediate or future, begin. In this article I consider the educational interests of children and argue that children have an interest in their own well-being. Following this, I will examine the interests of parents and consider where the limits of paternalism lie. Finally, I will consider the state's intere…
Patriotism, History and the Legitimate Aims of American Education
This article argues that while an attachment to one's country is both natural and even partially justifiable, cultivating loyal patriotism in schools is untenable insofar as it conflicts with the legitimate aims of education. These aims include the epistemological competence necessary for ascertaining important truths germane to the various disciplines; the cultivation of critical thinking skills (i.e. the ability to even-handedly consider counte…
Educational justice and the gifted
This article examines two basic questions: first, what constitutes a gifted person, and secondly, is there justification in making special educational provision for gifted children, where special provision involves spending more on their education than on the education of `normal' children? I consider a hypothetical case for allocating extra resources for the gifted, and argue that gifted children are generally denied educational justice if they …
Constructing an Authentic Self: The Challenges and Promise of African‐Centered Pedagogy
African‐centered pedagogy aims to cultivate a positive and productive culturally based identity for Black children, and African‐centered schools endeavor to supply that cultural base, placing the history, culture, and life experiences of individuals of African descent at the center of everything that they do. Our study examines the historical contexts in which African‐centered education has emerged and the justification for racially separate scho…
Cosmopolitanism and the deeply religious
The authors provide a defence of cosmopolitanism from a liberal perspective, examining its moral underpinnings, including moral obligations predicated on a belief in common humanity and the fundamental dignity of human people, cultural capacities that include an embrace of pluralism and a fallibilist disposition, and pragmatist resolve in finding humanitarian solutions to real problems that people face. The authors also scrutinise the ideal of co…
Why the French don't like headscarves: Islam, the state and public space
Why Education in Public Schools Should Include Religious Ideals
This article aims to open a new line of debate about religion in public schools by focusing on religious ideals. The article begins with an elucidation of the concept ‘religious ideals’ and an explanation of the notion of reasonable pluralism, in order to be able to explore the dangers and positive contributions of religious ideals and their pursuit on a liberal democratic society. We draw our examples of religious ideals from Christianity and Is…
Complexities of Belonging in Democratic and Democratizing Societies: Islamic Identity, Ethnicity and Citizenship in the Netherlands and Aceh
In this paper we will explore the purported tension that lies between one's so-called Islamic identity and the demands of civic identity—seen as proof of "integration"—in liberal democratic societies, and show that the relationship is philosophically and existentially more complex than advocates of the "clash of civilizations" thesis or "democratic Islam" admit. To this end, we will explore the historical experience of two Muslim communities, one…
Restricted Liberty, Parental Choice and Homeschooling: Restricted Liberty, Parental Choice and Homeschooling
In this paper the authors carefully study the problem of liberty as it applies to school choice, and whether there ought to be restricted liberty in the case of homeschooling. They examine three prominent concerns that might be brought against homeschooling, viz., that it aggravates social inequality, worsens societal conflict and works against the best interests of children. To examine the tensions that occur between parental liberty, children’s…
Equality, self‐respect and voluntary separation
This paper argues that self‐respect constitutes an important value, and further, an important basis for equality. It also argues that under conditions of inequality‐producing segregation, voluntary separation in schooling may be more likely to provide the resources necessary for self‐respect. A prima facie case of voluntary separation for stigmatized minorities when equality - as equal status and treatment - is not an option under either the term…
Gender, Ethnicity, Religiosity, and Same-sex Sexual Attraction and the Acceptance of Same-sex Sexuality and Gender Non-conformity
Equality on Different Terms: The Case of Dutch Hindu Schools
In this article the authors examine the reasons for the establishment of Hindu schools in the Netherlands and how the Dutch system of education facilitates these and other voluntarily separate schools. In particular, the authors explore the manner in which Hindu schools aim to cultivate and sustain attachments to their own group through a culturally specific approach to learning and belonging that promises greater educational equality. The author…
On the right track? Islamic schools in the Netherlands after an era of turmoil
The Netherlands currently has 43 Islamic primary schools. Each is fully subsidised by the government. Yet since the first school was established in 1988 Islamic schools have been confronted with obstacles by the Ministry of Education, bad press and increasingly strict state supervision. Under pressure to improve their image, since 2008 Dutch Islamic primary schools have turned their attention away from expanding their numbers and instead focussed…
The conundrum of religious schools in twenty-first-century Europe
In this paper Merry examines in detail the continued – and curious – popularity of religious schools in an otherwise ‘secular’ twenty-first century Europe. To do this he considers a number of motivations underwriting the decision to place one's child in a religious school and delineates what are likely the best empirically supported explanations for the continued dominant position of Protestant and Catholic schools. He then argues that institutio…
Reply to my critics
In this reply I respond to criticisms offered by Richard Harris, Ludi Simpson, Ron Johnson and Nissa Finney as it concerns my book, Equality, Citizenship and Segregation: a defense of separation
Community, virtue and the White British poor
Whilst media and political rhetoric in Britain is sceptical and often outright damning of the (presumed) morals and behaviours of the White marginalized poor, our aim is to explore the conditions under which successful communities are nevertheless built. Specifically, we examine the features of community and stress its importance both for belonging and bonding around shared norms and practices and for fostering the necessary bridging essential fo…
A response to commentaries on Community, Virtue and the White British Poor
Is the liberal defense of public schools a fantasy
In this paper, we offer a Leftist critique of standard liberal defenses of the public school. We suggest that the standard arguments employed by mainstream liberal defenders of the public school are generally inadequate because they fail to provide a credible representation of their historical object, let alone effective remedies to our current problems. Indeed, many of these narratives, in our view, are grounded in fantasies about what public sc…
Teachers’ Understanding of Multicultural Education and the Correlates of Multicultural Content Integration in Flanders
The bulk of scholarship on multicultural education continues to focus exclusively on U.S. education. Previous studies published in this field also have focused largely on topics that are considered relevant for the United States, whereas little attention has been paid to topics that are less problematized in the United States. In this mixed-method study, we explore teachers’ understanding of multicultural education in Flanders (Belgium), and we e…
Indoctrination, Islamic schools, and the broader scope of harm
Many philosophers argue that religious schools are guilty of indoctrinatory harm. I think they are right to be worried about that. But in this article, I will postulate that there are other harms for many individuals that are more severe outside the religious school. Accordingly the full scope of harm should be taken into account when evaluating the harm that some religious schools may do. Once we do that, I suggest, justice may require that we c…
Sociology (33 works) · Political science (29 works) · Law (21 works) · Law (16 works) · Religious Education and Schools (16 works) · Psychology (13 works) · Epistemology (10 works) · Politics (10 works) · Social Psychology (10 works) · Pedagogy (9 works)