Work

Learning from the past: An historical perspective on indoctrination and citizenship

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: This paper shows how a significant, but short-lived, episode in Scotland's educational history – the rise and decline of Socialist Sunday Schools (SSSs) in the first half of the twentieth century – provoked controversial debates about issues that continue to have relevance today. The first half of the paper explains the origins of SSSs, their links to adult political groups, the form and content of their meetings, and publications designed to advance their agenda. It also describes the criticisms they received from religious leaders and Conservative politicians, on the grounds that they undermined faith and preached revolution. This leads into the second part, which considers whether SSSs might be regarded as agencies of indoctrination, promoting a version of citizenship that sought to subvert existing institutions and disrupt the social order. It is argued that complete neutrality in educational systems is not possible and that a study of the SSS movement has considerable potential as an educational resource, particularly for teachers of history, politics and social studies.

Source: Citizenship Social and Economics Education

DOI: 10.1177/14788047231156090

Author: Walter Humes

Institution: University of Stirling

Language: English

Topic: Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Quality education, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,000