A brief history of biographical research in Germany

Author(s)
Peter Alheit, Bettina Dausien
Abstract

The contribution gives a brief historical insight in the beginning and
the drastic change of biographical thinking particularly in the educational
sphere. Biography is a theme addressed by German educational
sciences ever since its historical beginnings in the late 18th
century. The discovery of the autonomous, educated, middle-class
subject is rooted in that interest in biography, which also shaped
the process of “biographisation” of the lower social strata a century
later. Even post-modern and post-structural criticism of the ‘subject’
towards the end of the 20th century has a lasting influence on educational
science. Understanding the historical background and the
consequences of this threefold change of ideas in the concept of
“biography” in the German tradition is the aim of this article.

Organisation(s)
Department of Education
External organisation(s)
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Journal
Revista Brasileira de Pesquisa (Auto)Biográfica
Volume
3
Pages
749-764
No. of pages
16
ISSN
2525-426X
Publication date
12-2018
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
504015 History of sociology, 503001 General education, 503017 History of education
Keywords
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/a-brief-history-of-biographical-research-in-germany(dc6a8127-11db-44fb-a360-876a86ba90fc).html