Norm Critique and the Dialectics of Hegelian Recognition

This article examines the relevance of Hegel’s theory of recognition within educational theory and practice in relation to the development of a non-affirmative theory of education. The article argues that Hegel’s theory of recognition can serve as a fruitful starting point for articulating an educational theory that can contribute to the subject’s open-ended formation in modern society. To start with, the article surveys the connection between Hegel’s educational thought and his concept of recognition. On this backdrop, the article singles out how Hegel’s theory of recognition provides a compelling theory of intersubjectivity that calls attention to the role of norms in personal development and in the construction of the social world. In continuation of a non-affirmative principle, it is argued that Hegelian recognition underlines firstly, that the subject’s formation can fruitfully be an open-ended and dynamic process and secondly, that in order to underpin this process it is important and necessary to critically assess norms and norm-generating practices within an educational context.