Towards democratic foundations: a Habermasian perspective on the politics of education

A central aspect of education has always been the pressing on of norms and values. This task is not fulfilled if pupils only learn the meaning of established norms and values. It is also about making pupils believe in them and to act according to them. Thus, teaching is also a kind of political socialization. The values taught change historically and this change is related to the political history of a society. Western societies currently are in the middle of a normative transformation. The question is which normative significance this general social transformation has for contemporary education. the answer is that schools should make a radicalized understanding of democratic citizenship its normative foundation. Jurgen Habermas's theory of democracy is the general point of departure.