Educational Metamorphoses : Philosophical Reflections on Identity and Culture

Attempts to challenge conventional wisdom that education consists of small, incremental changes. Using case studies of personal transformations, or metamorphoses, this book examines Malcolm X, Shaw's Eliza Doolittle, Victor of Aveyron and others to demonstrate how education is a fundamental determinant of the human condition.

A preeminent philosopher of education in the United States, Jane Roland Martin challenges conventional wisdom that education consists of small, incremental changes within a student''s life. Using case studies of personal transformations, or metamorphoses, Martin examines Malcolm X, George Bernard Shaw''s Eliza Doolittle, Victor - the Wild Boy of Aveyron, Minik the Inuit Child, and several others to demonstrate how substantial personal change can be and how vital education is as a fundamental determinant of the human condition. Martin''s study results in three important claims: that each of us undergoes personal metamorphoses as a result of education; that these changes can result in a radically altered identity and can therefore be either good or bad; and that each change constitutes a culture crossing which can be accompanied by feelings of guilt, accusations of betrayal, alienation, and a sense of loss.