The History of Education: State of the Art at the Turn of the Century in Europe and North America

Abstract

At the turn of the century historians of education in the United States and in Europe look back upon four decades of fruitful and exciting work that has brought their discipline a high amount of visibility and acclaim in the scholarly community. Yet there exists also a sense of dismay and unease; a feeling that the enthusiasm, even euphoria, of the seventies has evaporated, and that the discipline lacks a sense of direction and purpose. What accounts for this turn of affairs'? How do we explain it?