Non-Affirmative Education Theory as a Foundation for Curriculum Research

For nation-states around the world curriculum-reform and relatedschool-development is an increasingly challenging topic. Also the field ofcurriculum theory has beencharacterized being in a need of redefining its object and its conceptual toolsdue to recent societal developments. Inspired by these developments thisarticle investigates how non-affirmativeeducation theory may provide us atheoretically more powerful approach compared to conventional reproduction- andtransformative-oriented curriculum theory. I argue that such an approach offersus a way to continue to live with a non-teleological (undetermined) idea ofhumanity, cosmology and individuality. Such a view may be helpful in guiding usbeyond globally expanding cultural nationalism, religious fundamentalism,economic protectionism and technological standardization that all arecounterproductive in a ‘globopolitan’ era.