The social studies for a postmodern age
Date
2004
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine
Abstract
The social studies has remained an enigma for most of its existence. In rhetoric it is highly regarded; in the lived reality of schools it is perceived as a "soft option." This article traces its origins and development in different contexts, and the epistemological debates and conundrums that still obscure what a study of the social is. The politics of knowledge illuminates its low status in organizational settings such as schools. A case is made for a return to the foundational principles espoused by social theorists, who see a study of the social as essentially that of being human. This knowledge is vitally important in a postmodern age where contradiction and fragmentation are increasingly the norm. Finally, it is shown that the Human Development Paradigm rests squarely on a deeper appreciation of the social, which can come from a reformulated social study
Description
Table of Contents
Keywords
Social studies, Caribbean
Citation
Mohammed, J., and Keller, C. (2004). The social studies for a postmodern age. Caribbean Curriculum, 11, 57-69