Democratization through education? Theory and practice of the Czech post-revolution education system and its reforms
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6181021 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jan Hornat (0000-0001-5336-6733, Charles University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 271-281 |
| Publication date | 2018-09-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Communist and Post-Communist Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0967-067X • E-ISSN: 1873-6920 |
| Publisher | University of California Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.postcomstud.2019.08.003 |
| OpenAlex | W2968985516 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 16 |
The transformation process from an authoritarian/totalitarian system entails many institutional changes, however, the individual citizen is often being overlooked in this chaotic, fast-paced process and his or her “transformation” into a democrat is taken for granted. The changing socio-political system and its exigencies may lead to nostalgia and social frustrations, which in turn cause democratic backsliding. In order to cultivate a democratic society and avoid future backsliding, the post-communist states quickly set out to reform their educational systems, both in form and substance. By reviewing the reform process of the Czech educational system and discussing the prevailing legacies left by the communist regime, the article will show that through the “destruction” of the former system and its de-monopolization, decentralization and de-ideologization, the state deliberately lost significant means and power to transform Czechs from “homo sovieticus” to “homo democraticus” and is now left with a dependence on the highly autonomous schools and their propensity to foster democratic generations that will uphold the democratic state in the future. This paradox is reminiscent of the so-called Böockenföorde dilemma, claiming that the liberal democratic state “lives by prerequisites which it cannot guarantee itself
Authoritarianism · Communism · Decentralization · Democracy · Democratization · Dilemma · Economic system · Economics · Market economy · Monopolization · Political economy · Political science · Political system · Politics · Sociology · Diverse Education Studies and Reforms · Eastern European Communism and Reforms · Global Educational Reforms and Inequalities · Law
The psychology of interpersonal relations.
Primary school teachers as a tool of secularisation of society in communist Czechoslovakia
Communism in Czechoslovakia, 1948-1960
The American Ethos
Communism as Religion
Velvet revolutions
Common legacy, different paths
Popper versus Schumpeter
Reflections on the revolution in Europe
Public opinion, democracy, and market reform in Africa
Jump-Starting Democracy
How well ordinary citizens understand democracy
| Citations per year | 0.8 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2021 - 2025 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |