Derailing Dewey: Art Education and Social Reconstruction

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Sebastien Fitch

Abstract

In this paper, a case is made for a critical re-examination of current trends in art education which support the adoption of inherently politically motivated curricula. The author examines the historical influence of Postmodernism upon both the fields of art and education, and goes on to argue that the potential for art to serve as a vehicle for ideology has caused many art educators to mistakenly conflate their moral role as teachers with their drive to disseminate their personally held political beliefs.


Key words: Arts; Education; Ideology; Morality; Dewey; Activism


 

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