1. Shiba Bagale
M.Phil in Development Studies
First Semester
Sociology of Education
KUSOED,2014
Habermas Interests
Kathmandu University, School of Education
6/21/2014Habermas Interests:Shiba Bagale,M.Phil

2. Presentation Synopsis
 Brief introduction of Habermas
 Main Contribution
 Three different interests
 Technical Interests
 Practical Interests
 Emancipatory Interests
 Application of Habermas theory
 Habermas interests in the context of Nepal
 Major critiques
 Conclusions
 References
Habermas Interests:Shiba Bagale,M.Phil2 6/21/2014

3. Brief Introduction of Habermas
 Born in 1929, Dussldorf, Germany
 Grew up during Nazi regime and
World War II
 Sociologist and philosopher
 Was the young member of Frankfrut
School
 Influenced by works of Marx,Weber
 Theory of cognitive interests and
communicative action are the main
(Murphy,2013)
1929 -
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Bagale,M.Phil
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4. Main contribution
• Significant Publications
– Communication and the Evolution of Society (1962)
– Knowledge and Human Interests (1968)
– The Theory of Communicative Action(Volume 1,
1981;Volume 2, 1984)
– The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity (1987a)
– For detail
http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/31386.J_r
gen_Habermas?page=5&per_page=30
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Bagale,M.Phil
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5. Habermas Interests- Cognitive
interest
 Technical Interests
 Practical Interests
 Emancipatory Interests
The theory influences how knowledge is
constructed.
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Bagale,M.Phil
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6. Technical Interests
 objective reality
 represents humans’ interactions with the
physical world
 reflects purposeful intervention or “work” by
humans
 Instrumental rationality
 Research paradigm: Positivism
Zining and Sheffield(2006)
 Rationally goal directed(Hebarmas, 1974)
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Bagale,M.Phil
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7. Practical Interests
 Organizational interests
 represents humans’ social world
 reflect the dynamic aspects of knowledge management
research
 subject to interpretation of meaning
 Research paradigm: Interpretivism
Zining and Sheffield(2006)
 merely makes a methodological discipline of the
everyday communicative experience of understanding
oneself and others(Habermas,1972, p.163)
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Bagale,M.Phil
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8. Emancipatory Interests
 Personal interests
 reality is subject to self-reflection
 exists a subjective reality
 represents each human’s personal world
 Communicative reality
 Research paradigm: critical pluralism
Zining and Sheffield(2006)
 Human emancipation 'from the constraints of
unnecessary domination in all its
forms(Habermas,1975, xviii)
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Bagale,M.Phil
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9. HABERMAS’S KNOWLEDGE
ANALYTICAL
Empirical
HERMENEUTIC
CRITICAL
Historical
Emancipatory
Knowledge Interests
Type of
knowing
Knowing
that
Knowing
how
Knowing
why
Terrry, 1997
Habermas Interests:Shiba Bagale,M.Phil9 6/21/2014

10. Application of Habermas theory
Knowledge/i
nterests
Structure
s
Curriculum Methodology
Analytical–
empirical
Curriculum
(content)
Natural
sciences/mat
hematics
Traditional
Hermeneutic
–historical
Methodolo
gy
(praxis)
Social
sciences/hum
anities
Progressive
Critical–
emancipator
y
Policy ? (negotiate
the content)
Fusion
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Bagale,M.Phil
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11. Application in quality of education
 Technical interests: Students are materials, which
can be value-added and teachers are workers, who
can be benchmarked
 Practical Interests: Teachers are transformative
intellectuals working for the betterment of the
status quo and the coming generation and Students
are potentials to be excel
 Emancipatory interests: Teachers and students
are in professional-client relationships, which are
bonded by empathetic understanding and trust
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12. Habermas Interests in the context of
Nepal
 Technical interests- teaching strategy at
KU(mostly powerpoint), CTEVT
 Practical interests- some practical courses,
more technical less practical ( teaching
practice, internship)
 Emancipatory interests- how the children
are emancipated? Still lacking
 Thus the practical and emancipatory
interests of Habermas fails to address the
education system of Nepal
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13. Major Critiques
 Are there really three totally different kinds of
science, or can we combine elements from all of
them?
 Technical knowledge not only the form of
knowledge
 A dominant minority can shape cultural practices
through economic and political control
 Interaction is an important dimension, but
Habermas runs the risk of reducing it to
communicative action only, itself exclusively a
matter of social norms.
 Reality determines the shape of science not only
by pragmatic interests.
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14. Conclusions
 Habermas interests guides the people to know the
peoples interests and helps to interact with each
other
 Emphasize communication (both linguistic and
symbolic) from manipulation for strategic ends
 But in the context of Nepal, only technical
education is in the focus and lacking the aspects
of practical and emancipatory interests.
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Bagale,M.Phil
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15. References
Habermas, Jurgen (1972) Knowledge and Human Interests. trans.
Jeremy J. Shapiro.London: Heineman
Habermas, J. (1974). Theory and practice. Boston: Bacon Press.
Retrieved from
http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1318815.files/Habermas%2
0Theory%20Practice.pdf
Habermas,J. (1975) Legitimation Crisis. trans. Thomas McCarthy.
Boston: Beacon Press.
Murhy, M. (Ed). (2013). Social theory and eduation research:
Understanding Foucault, Habermas, Bourdieu and Derrida. London:
Routledge,Taylor and Francis.
Terry, P.L.(1997). Hebarmas and Education:Knowledge,communication ,
discoures. Curriculum Studies. Retrieved from
http://inelmen.boun.edu.tr/amr/erol03/philo03/habermas.pdf
Zining, G. & Sheffield,J.(2006).Habermasian inquiring system:Toward a
general framework for knowledge management research. School of
business papers. University of Auckland. Retrieved from
https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/2292/130/1.p
df?sequence=1
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Bagale,M.Phil
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For the pictures on slide 3
http://www.google.com.np/imgres?imgurl=http://www.stephenhicks.org/wp-
content/uploads/2009/11/hitler-andyouth-
full.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.stephenhicks.org/2009/12/18/education-section-14-of-nietzsche-and-
the-
nazis/&h=353&w=243&tbnid=PdeaSHYO6nU65M:&zoom=1&docid=QrdqhwZQJnwJHM&ei=FE1r
U5bnFtOJuATh8oLgCw&tbm=isch
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16. Habermas Interests:Shiba
Bagale,M.Phil
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