ABSTRACT
The history of education has, in the past, not only concentrated too much on the story of great thinkers but also on the history of institutions, for example, on topics such as 'The Rise of the University' rather than examining the changes in society which gave rise to those institutions or to changes in them. In pre-literate societies there is usually little discussion about education or the purpose of education: it is taken for granted that the young need to be brought up in certain ways and that the elders know best. Modernism began as a description of architectural style, often also applied to art and music. The Jews were interested in writing history because it was seen as the story of the gradual unfolding of God's plan for humanity. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
