International Journal of Research in Education Humanities and Commerce

EDUCATION AS AN AGENT OF CULTURAL REPRODUCTION AND TRANSFORMATION IN EUROPE

Author: Apostolos Karaoulas

ABSTRACT

This article explores the dynamic relationship between education and culture in Europe from the 18th to the 21st century, analyzing how education has functioned both as a means of shaping and reproducing cultural and national identities, and as a field for questioning and deconstructing entrenched cultural stereotypes. Beginning with the philosophical foundations of the Enlightenment, where education emerged as a cornerstone of progress and intellectual freedom, and extending to the necessary transformations of educational systems in the 19th century for the creation of national identities, the analysis addresses the ideological and cultural processes that shaped the development of the European educational system. The article also examines the oppressive and authoritarian aspects of education, such as its use in colonialism to impose cultural hierarchies, and its role in shaping hegemonic national and cultural norms.

Focusing on the critical analysis of historical and social data and drawing on the theories of key thinkers such as Kant, Foucault, and Bourdieu, the article aims to investigate how education has functioned as a contested space of cultural narratives and as a means of cultural intervention. Drawing on examples from French and German education, the article highlights the dynamic role of education in shaping social and cultural consciousness and underscores the necessity of constructing an educational system capable of deconstructing dominant cultural models, creating space for new, alternative approaches and values.

Keywords: Education and culture, cultural differentiation, education and society, cultural identity, ideology and education, social identity

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