Education for All?
Literature, Culture and Education Development in Britain and Denmark

Investigates how nineteenth-century fiction writers influenced the creation of public-school systems in Denmark and Great Britain.

Cathie Jo Martin (Author)

9781009419659, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 21 September 2023

290 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.3 cm, 0.59 kg

'Cathie Martin's study is of great interest in that it anchors a cultural perspective, linking educational history and the comparison of parallel developments, in international comparative educational research.' Philipp Gonon, H-Soz-Kult

Why did Denmark develop mass education for all in 1814, while Britain created a public-school system only in 1870 that primarily educated academic achievers? Cathie Jo Martin argues that fiction writers and their literary narratives inspired education campaigns throughout the nineteenth-century. Danish writers imagined mass schools as the foundation for a great society and economic growth. Their depictions fortified the mandate to educate all people and showed neglecting low-skill youth would waste societal resources and threaten the social fabric. Conversely, British authors pictured mass education as harming social stability, lower-class work, and national culture. Their stories of youths who overcame structural injustices with individual determination made it easier to blame students who failed to seize educational opportunities. Novel and compelling, Education for All? uses a multidisciplinary perspective to offer a unique gaze into historical policymaking. This title is part of the Flip it Open Programme and may also be available Open Access. Check our website Cambridge Core for details.

Introduction: Education for Some or Education for All? 1. Culture and the Paradox of Education Systems
2. Culture and Continuity through Institutional Change
3. Romancing the Nation: Education and State-Building in 1800
4. Expanding Educational Access in the Age of Social Realism
5. Education in the Age of Empire: Globalization, Technological Change and the Race for Supremacy
6. Cultural Echos of the Past in Contemporary Education Reforms.

Subject Areas: Comparative politics [JPB]