ABSTRACT
Because human living together is vivid as a local phenomenon, many people view learning about local life as foundational for socialisation in schools, especially in early years. However, this does not mean that the local is unproblematic or uncontested. Despite emerging emphases on the local as a steadier, more solid basis for civic allegiance, the local is also a field of contention. This chapter discusses emerging appeals to the local, localism, and localisation, in political and educational thought. Their relevancy to education is examined in relation to such trends as urban and provincial-based education, place-based and indigenous education, and critical pedagogy. In these cases, it is illustrated how difference and dissensus about local character can be obscured by oversimplification, in ways that are not entirely beneficial from an educational or moral viewpoint. It considers questions regarding whether the local reflects women’s views and values, or those of racial and ethnic minorities in a society, for example. This chapter thus presents some challenges to emerging perspectives on civic education that highlight the local.
