Do the groups to which I belong make me me?

Abstract

This article discusses the implications of some current philosophical thinking about groups, culture and the politics of identity (exploring the views of Anthony Appiah, Amartya Sen and Nel Noddings, among others) for education generally, and for issues of classroom organization in particular. My basic thesis is that, when we understand the pressures and tensions which confront individuals — especially children — as they struggle to define themselves in the context of an increasingly complex and divided society, we should also realize that the organizational dimensions of schools and classrooms deserve at least as much attention as the standard concerns about literacy and numeracy. Seeking to forge a path between the well-known extremes of individualism and collectivism, the article looks critically at some prominent types of groups and associations — particularly the `large' ones of specific cultures, religions and nations — not with a view to imagining their non-existence but, rather, with a prescription for structuring teaching and learning environments as communities of inquiry .