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Schooling as Violence
Asking fundamental and often uncomfortable questions about the nature and purposes of formal education, this book explores the three main ways of looking at the relationship between formal education, individuals and * that education improves society
* that education reproduces society exactly as it is
* that education makes society worse and harms individuals. Whilst educational policy documents and much academic writing and research stresses the first function and occasionally make reference to the second, the third is largely played down or ignored. In this unique and thought-provoking book, Clive Harber argues that while schooling can play a positive role, violence towards children originating in the schools system itself is common, systematic and widespread internationally and that schools play a significant role in encouraging violence in wider society. Topics covered include physical punishment, learning to hate others, sexual abuse, stress and anxiety, and the militarization of school. The book both provides detailed evidence of such forms of violence and sets out an analysis of schooling that explains why they occur. In contrast, the final chapter explores existing alternative forms of education which are aimed at the development of democracy and peace. This book should be read by anyone involved in education - from students and academics to policy-makers and practitioners around the world.
* that education reproduces society exactly as it is
* that education makes society worse and harms individuals. Whilst educational policy documents and much academic writing and research stresses the first function and occasionally make reference to the second, the third is largely played down or ignored. In this unique and thought-provoking book, Clive Harber argues that while schooling can play a positive role, violence towards children originating in the schools system itself is common, systematic and widespread internationally and that schools play a significant role in encouraging violence in wider society. Topics covered include physical punishment, learning to hate others, sexual abuse, stress and anxiety, and the militarization of school. The book both provides detailed evidence of such forms of violence and sets out an analysis of schooling that explains why they occur. In contrast, the final chapter explores existing alternative forms of education which are aimed at the development of democracy and peace. This book should be read by anyone involved in education - from students and academics to policy-makers and practitioners around the world.
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First published February 9, 2004
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January 7, 2026
This was a difficult read… I’m not too sure I’d recommend this to anyone. There is never an overarching thesis or argument other than that schools as they exist today (international and US domestically and during the early to mid 2000s) are violent institutions that serve no other purpose than to inflict harm on pupils.
Harber begins his book in the introduction stating: “the book is concerned with schooling as a historical, social, and political system… but blaming individuals or the profession is not the aim of the book.” Well I’m not too sure he succeeds in this. For 9 chapters Harber rattles off example after example of research that seems all too based in confirmation bias. He lets up in chapter 10 focusing on what can be slightly described as peace education.
Overall this is the better researched cousin to Dumbing us Down by Gatto, but both serve the same purpose: yelling into the void of unoriginal critiques of a system that is extremely under-funded and under-appreciated. So let’s get off our high horses and actually work to fix the issues. Sure it’s nice to document them in a book, but let’s be mindful in how we preset [factual] information. Understand your position when you publish such powerful words.
Harber begins his book in the introduction stating: “the book is concerned with schooling as a historical, social, and political system… but blaming individuals or the profession is not the aim of the book.” Well I’m not too sure he succeeds in this. For 9 chapters Harber rattles off example after example of research that seems all too based in confirmation bias. He lets up in chapter 10 focusing on what can be slightly described as peace education.
Overall this is the better researched cousin to Dumbing us Down by Gatto, but both serve the same purpose: yelling into the void of unoriginal critiques of a system that is extremely under-funded and under-appreciated. So let’s get off our high horses and actually work to fix the issues. Sure it’s nice to document them in a book, but let’s be mindful in how we preset [factual] information. Understand your position when you publish such powerful words.
Displaying 1 of 1 review