Subject formation and the social sciences

Živa Kos

Summary:  This paper contributes to the discussions on how to structure the conditions and formation of learning subjects in the field of current education. This seems relevant in relation to the criticism expressed by a number of authors (Beck 2001, Collins 2013, Alvesson 2014, Apple 2013), who shed light on the limits of (extreme) individualism in education in contemporary society. It seems that a strong interdependence between education and the labour market may reinforce extremes like individualism. Education has always been a vital mechanism in establishing relationships between individuals and social structures, and it has been the key facilitator of the social. Nevertheless, it seems that caring for the common good has remained at the margins of contemporary discussions on the efficiency and effectiveness of education. In this context, the concept of reflection is considered one of the contemporary regulative ideas of the formation of learning subjects, especially with respect to education. Reflection is thematised as the practice of reconsidering one’s care of the self and others and as a means of governing oneself (Foucault 2007, 2008 a). Following this, the paper outlines some of the possible research and pedagogical possibilities of reflection in education, presenting viable insights into the rationalities of students on the conditions that can facilitate social studies.