Philosophy of Education at WMIER

Waikato is one of the centres for philosophy of education in New Zealand, Australasia and the world. Currently Prof Tina Besley (left) (Foucault, Global Studies) is the President of the Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia. ‘PESA has become a global organisation, with our members now hailing not only from our founding countries, Australia and New Zealand, but also Asia, Europe and North and South America.’ It offers two PhD scholarships ($10,000) every year.

The flagship journal of PESA is Educational Philosophy & Theory (Routledge) one of the three top journals in the field. It is an SSCI journal with 14 issues per year, several books series, and free content material. Prof Michael A Peters (Wittgenstein, Foucault) is the Executive Editor. Other philosophy of education staff at Waikato include Associate Professor Carl Mika,  Director of Global Studies, writes on German Romantic philosophy (Novalis, Heidegger) and Maori philosophy; Associate Professor E. Jayne White (Bakhtin) and dialogic philosophies; and Dr Sonja Arndt (Kristeva) - both of whom are prominent philosophers of early childhood education; Sharyn Heaton (Maori philosophy); Maggie Lyall (gender in ECE),  Dr Richard Heraud (educational innovation) and PhD students, Robert Stratford (Ecosophy), Rene Novak (Immersive media), Bridgette Redder (Moral answerability), Kim Southey (Maori philosophy of mental health), Dandan Cao (Touchscreen voice), Barnaby Pace  (Quality in Higher Education), Katie Wasson (critique of digital mental health), Shumaila Noreen (Neoliberalism in Pakistan HE). Their collective efforts establish a strong basis for the importance of philosophical thought on, in and about contemporary and future educational experience - both at home and across the globe. Many of our education courses incorporate philosophy of education within their subjects.

See Professor Michael Peters TEDX talk: The Evolution of Truth