Vlaamsche Paedagogiek. Progressive educationalists and the construction of a Flemish Volksgemeinschaft, 1941-1944

In May 1941, two progressive educationalists, Jozef Emiel Verheyen and Leo Roels, published a new pedagogical journal, Vlaamsche Paedagogiek (Flemish Pedagogy, 1941–1944). The journal aimed to contribute to the development and proliferation of a pedagogy that rooted in the Flemish soil and national character. Verheyen and Roels were convinced that “strong personalities could only prosper in a natural (volkseigen) atmosphere, carried by [the Flemish] language”. By presenting a case-study of Vlaamsche Paedagogiek, this article documents how, in Flemish progressive educational circles, the discourse shifted in the direction of a flamingant antimodern discourse, revolving around notions of character formation, discipline and the Heimat. This article suggests that, in many ways, Vlaamsche Paedagogiek was a radicalisation of the journals’ predecessor, Moderne School (Modern School, 1927–1941), a Flemish progressive education journal. Both journals centred on the same principles. Yet, whereas Moderne School used progressive education principles to establish a school that was closer to reality, Vlaamsche Paedagogiek aimed to use education as a tool for Flanders’ cultural emancipation.

Publication year:2019

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Authors from:Higher Education

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