ABSTRACT

The British government's current educational policy for England draws on E.D. Hirsch's writings on 'cultural literacy'. This paper aims to uncover the roots of Hirsch’s influential views through a genealogical critique. Hirsch admired the Scottish Enlightenment educator Hugh Blair as a model architect of a hegemonic culture to unite disparate members of a nation. Following Hirsch, the government Department for Education in England called for ‘shared appreciation of cultural reference points’ and ‘a common stock of knowledge on which all can draw and trade’. Consequently, the literature curriculum in England increasingly disenfranchises a significant component of the population in terms of both gender and cultural heritage. Recent ‘culture wars’ have highlighted the legacy of colonialism and have led educators to decolonise the curriculum and prioritise social justice. Continuing racism within civil society demonstrates the need for a general recognition that cultures are desirably diverse and internally plural.

摘要

英国政府当前对英格兰的教育政策借鉴了 ED Hirsch 关于“文化素养”的著作。本文旨在通过谱系批判来揭示赫希有影响力的观点的根源。赫希钦佩苏格兰启蒙运动教育家休·布莱尔作为霸权文化的模范建筑师，以团结一个国家的不同成员。继赫希之后，英国政府教育部呼吁“共同欣赏文化参考点”和“所有人都可以借鉴和交易的共同知识储备”。因此，英国的文学课程在性别和文化遗产方面越来越多地剥夺了人口的重要组成部分。最近的“文化战争”凸显了殖民主义的遗产，并导致教育工作者将课程非殖民化并优先考虑社会正义。民间社会中持续存在的种族主义表明需要普遍承认文化是理想的多样化和内部多元化。