Ethics and Politics in Early Childhood Education

Early childhood education and care services have become a policy priority for governments and international organizations. The mainstream debate treats these services in a highly instrumental way, as the solution to many economic and social problems.

This book challenges the mainstream debate and explores an alternative approach to early childhood services, putting ethics and politics first, in services that are essentially ‘public spaces’ full of unpredictable possibilities. The authors offer readers a very different way of thinking about and practicing early childhood work, making accessible important discussions in philosophy, ethics, and politics. The authors connect theory to practice by drawing on a wide range of examples of early childhood work in several countries, including the Northern Italian city of Reggio Emilia.

Authored by Gunilla Dahlberg and Peter Moss, Routledge, 2005; illus., softbound, 208 pages

Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x .5 inches