Imperfect Classroom: democracy, utopia and history teaching

Abstract

This article presents the constitution of a research project inspired by the Grup de Recerca en Didàctica de les Ciències Socials (Gredics), as a way of paying homage to the writings and teachings of Joan Pagès. It is a research project based on collective work with university-level and Basic Education participants. The proposal is to create a research group with professors and teachers interested in conducting and analyzing didactic experiences based on the following problem: can classes on the history of democracy be a space for the creation of utopias by students and teachers? The focus will be the collective production and analysis of classes on the history of democracy to explore the temporal relations mobilized by Basic Education students. According to Pagès, the teaching of history is a privileged space for political education with a view to radicalizing democracy; a slow and non-linear process, open to multiplicities that, above all, helps students to imagine futures that are more egalitarian, just and free from racism and discrimination. As proposed by Wendy Brown, thinking about democracy is necessary to deepen ethical and political debates around other possible worlds. The project will thus promote meetings between students, teachers of Basic Education and university professors, as this was, perhaps, the most important movement that Pagès made during his professional life. That is how I will try to honor what I learned from him: even if these meetings are unfinished and imperfect, we must make sure that groups and networks of dialogue continue to be inspired by Pagès, and that we go on creating concepts and utopias in history classes.