How is democracy educative? A Deweyan Democratic account of education and learner agency in non-school contexts

The political philosophy of education has developed a systematic understanding of how schools shape, and should seek to shape, our democratic and civic character. So far, it has paid less attention to how non-school institutions also leave an educational deposit on our individual self-realization and capacities to engage in democratic social cooperation. In this thesis, I construct and defend a Deweyan democratic account of learner agency and epistemic and ethical growth, capable of providing a systematic treatment of how ordinary social institutions educate us. I argue greater conversation with the work of John Dewey, a famous philosopher of both education and democracy, pays dividends in enriching our conceptual and normative reflections on how non-school institutions should contribute to the ethical project of democratic education. I argue throughout that a focus on Deweyan philosophy deepens our understanding of how learner agency can be supported, and frustrated, by our everyday social contexts. It also broadens the scope of what social contexts count as contributing to our democratic education, opening our discussion to non-school contexts such as parenting, working, and public culture. The thesis comes in two parts. In Part I, I establish the Deweyan theory of learner agency and growth. I then connect my Deweyan-inspired theory of learner agency with social epistemological research into epistemic injustice to clarify and explain how institutions can harm, frustrate, and warp the development of our educational capacities. In Part II, I examine three non-school contexts that most people will inhabit at different points of their lives: parenting, our working lives, and our engagement with a shared public culture. I re-examine debates surrounding the role of these contexts in supporting democratic character and problem-solving processes, demonstrating that a robust understanding of learner agency and growth can illuminate their educational and democratic consequences further.