A far more complex labyrinth: Classical vs modern pedagogies

Robin Alexander wrote that pedagogy is ‘a window on the culture of which it is a part, and on that culture's underlying tensions and contradictions’. In the 18th century, a principal tension was expressed as the battle between the Ancients and the Moderns. Education was profoundly implicated in this debate, involving a real practice: a classical education vs a modern education, at a time when 'modern' was disparaged. This was not just about curriculum, it was also and fundamentally about pedagogy: what was taught, how and to whom, at a time when there was no overall educational authority.

Michele will argue that to understand power relations in 18th century education, an analysis of the relations between pedagogies - on the premise that no pedagogy functions in isolation from the other pedagogies constituting the educational system - is required. In the 18th century, the competition between pedagogies resulted in the hegemony of Latin pedagogy, with consequences on gender and social class during this period.