Why is it that so many schools fail at teaching their students critical thinking skills that could help them understand the world? Political scientist Agustina Paglayan argues that mass primary education from its origins was set up not to raise children’s prospects — but rather to teach them to obey. She locates the Right’s recent attacks on schooling in the context of the social upheavals of our times.
This episode is hosted by Jon Nelson and rebroadcasts an interview with Agustina Paglayan, author of Raised to Obey: The Rise and Spread of Mass Education (Princeton University Press, 2024), conducted by Sasha Lilley for Against the Grain, a weekly radio show hosted by Sasha Lilly and C.S. Soong on KPFA Pacifica Radio in Berkley, California. It’s a program of ideas, in-depth analysis, and commentary on political, economic, social, and cultural issues important to radical thinking and activism.
Image: logo of KBOO Community Radio Portland Oregon, Old Mole Variety Hour; next to the cover of Raised to Obey, fair use; red and white lettering of title and author name on black background, above a drawing of a hand holding a pencil drawing a scribble that turns into a straight line.
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