Schooling, Human Capital and Civilization: A Brief History from Antiquity to the Digital Era

This book explores the formation of human capital in education, its social and ethical implications, and its role in generating policies and practices that govern curriculum studies. It traces the concept of human capital from ancient slave societies to colonial empires and arrives at the modern formulations in education systems. It raises questions about the appropriateness of an approach that represented slaves, machines, animals, and property in its history for forward-looking democratic societies. The book offers a critical assessment of power-knowledge relations in curriculum studies and provides a resource for scholars and graduates working in comparative and international education, the history of education, curriculum studies, digital education, and curriculum theory.

Format: Hardback
Length: 238 pages
Publication date: 18 August 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book delves into the intricate formation of human capital in education, exploring its profound social and ethical implications while examining its pivotal role in shaping policies and practices that govern curriculum studies as an academic field. Through an engaging inquiry approach and employing a genealogical methodology, the author contextualizes the origins of human capital theory and traces its historical connections to the era of imperialism. Spanning from ancient slave societies to colonial empires, the book unravels the evolution of the concept of human capital in education systems, shedding light on its profound impact on curriculum and pedagogy in the digital age. Challenging the appropriateness of an approach that historically marginalized slaves, machines, animals, and property, the author uncovers crucial implications for educational equity and teacher development. Presenting a unique genealogy of schooling humans as economic resources, the book offers a descriptive and critical analysis of its impact on education as a lived experience. By excavating ideas and mentalities that shape our understanding of modern schooling processes, this approach fosters the intellectual growth of teachers while providing a critical assessment of power-knowledge relations in curriculum studies. Furthermore, the book discerns associations between the human capital theory of education and technological progress, raising important ethical considerations in the digital age. As a valuable resource for scholars and graduates engaged in comparative and international education, the history of education, curriculum studies, digital education, and curriculum theory, this book offers insightful perspectives and valuable insights into the complex dynamics of human capital in education.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032422275