Talking to Prof. Dr Frist Osterwalder. Education and schooling are subject to intentional, moral and political decisions: The only way to deal with this matter of fact, scientifically, and from a distant perspective is through a serious historicization

Abstract

Fritz Osterwalder may be a controversial figure for some; however, he has proven to be one of the most prolific and foremost thinkers of his discipline and has influenced the discourse in the history of education tremendously. He did so by writing, editing, and co-editing 19 books and – over the course of his career – publishing 134 articles and book chapters. Fritz Osterwalder’s academic journey starts in Zurich where he studied the subjects of German literature and culture as well as (general and Swiss) history. After having completed his program, he stayed in Zurich to obtain a Ph.D. degree in 1971. In his dissertation, he focused on republican poetry during the time of the French Revolution. Before working on his habilitation project, he was an academic assistant at Royal Holloway College (London) and worked as a freelance journalist and teacher. In his habilitation – which he completed in 1994 – Osterwalder critically analyzes Pestalozzi’s works as well as his institutes which he labeled a ‘pedagogical cult’. Read more . . .