Eu opean Jou nal o
Philosophy
in
A s Educa ion
Edi o :
Ke il Tho Tho ge sen
Issue 01
2025
ol. 09
7
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eu opean Jou nal o
Philosophy
in
A s Educa ion
Edi o :
Ke il Tho Tho ge sen
Issue 01
2025
ol 09
2
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
CONTENT
Ke il Tho Tho ge sen
Edi o ial
p. 4
Cecilia Fe m Almq is
Re- hinking Conse a o y Educa ion as an Open Sys em
–
Lea ning o Play h ough Playing – Le e om a Piano S uden o an
Educa ional Philosophe
p 7
Eli B ude man
‘A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
–
S a egies and Possible Loca ions
p 28
3
Eu opean Jou nal o Philosophy in A s Educa ion
01 2025 ol. 09
Edi o ial
2025 issue o he Eu opean Jou nal o
Philosophy in A s Educa ion
Ke il Tho ge sen
Edi o in Chie
JPAE is p oud o p esen a new issue ha di es in o he i al and challenging
in e sec ion be ween he a s, educa ion, and philosophy. In insecu e and
apidly changing imes o global ins abili y o he pe asi e in luence o
echnology in nea ly e e y domain o li e, he wo a icles bo h p o ide e eshing
akes on c i ique o ins i u ions. In such oubling imes, he a s and a s educa ion
a e mo e needed han e e —no as an escape, bu as a c ucial space o c i ical e lec-
ion, imagining al e na i es, and os e ing human de elopmen beyond he dic a es
o e iciency and echnoc acy.
E
This issue con ains wo a icles ha a e uni ed by a sha ed heme: bo h examine
and c i ique exis ing ins i u ional s uc u es while sugges ing al e na i e me hods
ha emphasize indi idual empowe men , c ea i e exp ession, and communi y
bonds. Collec i ely, hey encou age us o eexamine essen ial ques ions ega ding he
ole and possibili ies o a s educa ion in oday's wo ld. I am pa icula ly pleased o
sha e bo h, as hey o e in iguing insigh s on how he co e elemen s o he a s—
c ea i i y, play, and imagina ion—can become le e s o meaning ul change.
4
EJPAE: 01 2025 ol. 09
Tho ge sen; Edi o ial
The i s a icle is "Re- hinking Conse a o y Educa ion as an Open Sys em," by
Cecilia Fe m Almq is . In a unique and pe sonal o ma , s uc u ed as a le e om a
piano s uden o an educa ional philosophe om o me Yugosla ia, Aleksand a
Ma jano ić, he au ho p o ides a sha p c i ique o Wes e n classical music conse a -
o y cul u e. Almq is illumina es he s uggles o s uden s wi hin a "closed sys em"
domina ed by he mas e -app en ice model, compe i ion, and un- e lec ed adi ion.
D awing on Ma jano ić's philosophical ideas, he a icle e- hinks highe music edu-
ca ion as an "open sys em" ha emb aces play, c ea i i y, and imagina ion o help s u-
den s de elop hei own "li e plans" as au onomous, democ a ic musicians. I is a ne-
cessa y and hough -p o oking ead o all in ol ed in music educa ion, especially
hose g appling wi h how o challenge conse a i e eaching cul u es and he pe as-
i e in luence o neo-libe al s uc u es on he a s.
Following his is "A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change: S a egies
and Possible Loca ions," by Eli B ude man. This a icle akes a b oad philosophical
sweep, engaging wi h he aes he ic heo ies o F ied ich Schille and He be Ma cuse
o ask whe he a and play can genuinely d i e social change, pa icula ly owa d
Ma cuse’s ision o a "socie y as a wo k o a ." B ude man a gues ha ins i u ional-
ized a , exempli ied by he museum, o en ails o ac as an a ena o meaning ul es-
is ance, ins ead se ing o domes ica e and neu alize sub e si e ene gies due o i s
dependency on echnoc acy and p i a e capi al. The a icle hen p oposes an al e na -
i e model: "hypo-mode nism," a o m o g ass oo s, small-scale, and e hical social-
a is ic ac i ism ha u ilizes a and play " om below" o e ec eal change wi hin
communi ies—a conc e e ealiza ion o u opian aes he ic play. This essay o e s a
deep and necessa y cau ion agains he domes ica ion o a 's c i ical po en ial.
Bo h a icles, hough add essing di e en ields o a s educa ion con e ge in
hei call o esis he na owing o a is ic pu pose and o ac i ely eclaim he po en-
ial o c ea i i y and play o building a mo e humane and democ a ic socie y. They
5
EJPAE: 01 2025 ol. 09
Tho ge sen; Edi o ial
powe ully emind us ha he philosophical ounda ion o a s educa ion is always a
si e o ac i ism, whe he pe sonal o communal.
I enjoyed he in ellec ual s imula ion I go h ough eading hese ex s, and eally
hope ha e en you will ge some aluable new epiphanies om aking pa in he
hough s o hese au ho s.
Ke il Tho Tho ge sen
Edi o in Chie S ockholm Oc obe 7 h 2025
6
Eu opean Jou nal o Philosophy in A s Educa ion
issue 1 2025 ol. 9
Re- hinking Conse a o y
Educa ion as an Open Sys em
Lea ning o Play h ough Playing – Le e
om a Piano S uden o an Educa ional
Philosophe
Cecilia Fe m Almq is ,
School o Teache Educa ion,
Söde ö n Uni e si y.
7
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Cecilia Fe m Almq is ; Re- hinking Conse a o y Educa ion as an Open
Sys em
Abs ac
This pape is o ma ed as a le e om a piano s uden in a Eu opean conse a o y
educa ional p og am o Aleksand a Ma jano ić , an educa ional philosophe om
o me Yugosla ia. The s uden was one o 24 in e iewed in a la ge s udy conce ning
conse a o y cul u es in Eas e n and Cen al Eu ope. A na a i e analysis app oach was
aken, and he s uden ’s exp essed expe iences we e in e wined wi h Ma jano ić's
philosophical hough s in he o m o a le e . In he a icle he s uden u ns o he
philosophe , as she eels diso ien ed and had imagina i ely ead he philosophe ’s
hough s ega ding c ea ing one’s own li e plan h ough c ea i i y and play (as in
play ul app oach), as well as abou educa ion as an open sys em, whe e s uden s’ ac ual
social ci cums ances a e aken in o accoun , and ans o m ins i u ional educa ion o
socie al educa ion. She eels ha she has nei he been encou aged no able o c ea e o
ollow any li e plans h ough he educa ion. Ins ead, she inds he sel ques ioning he
di ec ions she was led in, i hey exis ed a all. He insigh s make he see highe music
educa ion, no leas in he Wes e n classical specializa ion, as a closed sys em, which
makes he e en mo e us a ed. Now, in he doc o al s udies, she wan s o discuss he
expe iences wi h Ma jano ić, whose w i ings ecen ly became a ailable in English. The
philosophical explo a ion aims o shed ligh on and e lec upon how conse a o y
educa ion could ake Ma jano ić’s hough s in o accoun aiming o con ibu e o
meaning ul in e ela ions be ween conse a o ies and socie y om a democ acy poin
o iew. The speci ic aim o his pape is o p esen a iew o highe music educa ion as
an
open sys em
, whe e s uden s o classical music a e in i ed o play and o c ea e hei
“li e plans” as becoming musicians. Th oughou he pape he ambi ion has been o
s ay as close as possible o he o iginal s uden in e iew ansc ip ion as possible.
Keywo ds: Open sys em, conse a o y, play, c ea i i y, imagina ion, Ma jano ić
8
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Cecilia Fe m Almq is ; Re- hinking Conse a o y Educa ion as an Open
Sys em
Re- hinking Conse a o y
Educa ion as an Open Sys em
Lea ning o Play h ough Playing – Le e
om a Piano S uden o an Educa ional
Philosophe
Cecilia Fe m Almq is , School o Teache Educa ion,
Söde ö n Uni e si y. 1
In oduc ion
lexand a Ma jano ić was a schola in he ield o ea ly childhood educa-
ion in Yugosla ia. She was ac i e a he mos du ing ‘70s and ‘80s o he
20 h cen u y, in he ime when se e al in ellec uals engaged in social
sciences used hei schola ship o ake a c i ical s ance owa d he ongoing social
p ojec o Yugosla ia and ied o con ibu e o he building o a socialis democ a ic
socie y, qui e di e en om he So ie e sion, aiming o build a socialis , democ a ic
socie y h ough a sys em o sel -managemen , wo ke con ol, and a unique o m o
ma ke socialism.1 Open democ a ic socialis socie y, wi h i s unique ab ic o poli -
ical, economic, social, and cul u al li e, a he ime was a ision sha ed by many
Yugosla ian in ellec uals, including Ma jano ić. This ision was based on a belie in
A
1 Cecilia Fe m Almq is , PhD, School o Teache Educa ion, Söde ö n Uni e si y,
E-mail: [email p o ec ed]
9
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Cecilia Fe m Almq is ; Re- hinking Conse a o y Educa ion as an Open
Sys em
Alexand a labels play ields wi hin he closed sys em; ac ually, you can ha e as many
chambe music lessons as you wan . Mo e abou his la e .
Some hing has o be done, and as I ead You, Aleksand a, I wonde i (music)
educa ional esea ch could be used o concep ualize ideas on ad ancing highe music
educa ional p ac ice, beyond he mas e app en ice model,15 as You exp ess i :
“Wi hin he al eady gi en and also he cu en ly la en po en ials o local socie ies?”.16
May be, music educa ional esea che s ha e o “. . . b eak ou o s ic ly academic lim-
i a ions and del e deepe in o he educa ional p ac ice ha should help hem con-
s uc heo e ical concep s and me hods.” No leas his is impo an in conse a o -
ies, whe e he mas e app en ice model and limi ed iews o musicians’ oles in soci-
e y in luence habi s and app oaches o a g ea ex en .17 You s ess ha such holdings
can con ibu e o change. You sugges ha scien i ic esea ch could bene i om edu-
ca ional p ac ice, by:
. . . p o iding a eason o changing p eschool pedagogy om i s cu en ly
no ma i e na u e in o a p ac ice based on heo e ical and empi ical examina-
ion. In o he wo ds, i could help i shi om a discipline based on (unex-
amined) ules in o a discipline capable o explo ing i s own objec i es and e-
lec ing on i s own p ac ice and na u e, conside ing scien i ic indings.18
This is ele an o conse a o y educa ion as well, as I unde s and i . I ead abou e-
sea ch ega ding conse a o y cul u es, and no leas analyses ega ding making cul-
u al he i age, ensions in ields o eaching and lea ning, and becoming musicians,
s a e ha change is needed, and ha un- e lec ed ules o a high deg ee s ee s how
eaching and lea ning ake place, which I clea ly ecognize.19 The esea che s, Fe m
Almq is & We ne , unde line ha his in u n in luences possibili ies o becoming,
connec ions o socie y and iews o possible u u es, which hey ha e also ela ed o
Randall Allsup’s hinking abou open and closed sys ems.20 They unde line, which I
16
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Cecilia Fe m Almq is ; Re- hinking Conse a o y Educa ion as an Open
Sys em
also ecognize, ha he e is a clea endency ha beha io s a e ep oduced, which
limi s lea ning, c ea i i y, and possible unc ions in socie y. The e o e, i con inues o
be a “closed sys em.”
In he line wi h wha You a gue Aleksand a, esea che s should be in i ed o and
included in highe music educa ional p ac ice, and why no , in coope a ion wi hin
educa ion and p ac ice o becoming conse a o y eache s, i such an educa ion exis-
ed. Maybe, he ask o esea ch in he ield o music educa ion, could be o explo e
indings om empi ical esea ch, h ough a philosophical lens, as a base o u he
e lec ions and discussions among eache s in conse a o ies. This is one hing I ha e
been hinking abou since I s a ed my doc o a e. You hough s on encou aging a
“mu ual ield o unde s anding”21 a e eally inspi ing.
Aleksand a, You challenge ins i u ional educa ion, which is wha I wan o do
and his is also why I w i e his le e o You, o e lec upon how You hough s can
help me in my e- hink o conse a o y educa ion, and hope ully ge You e lec ions
back. You also unde line he impo ance o de ining wha an ins i u ion is, and in
his case, conse a o ies a e e y speci ic ins i u ions, ha ha e un ins umen al ped-
agogy o a e y long ime. And o cou se he eaching I ha e me , and he lea ning I
ha e expe ienced, can’ be sepa a ed om adi ions de eloped and conse ed wi hin
hem.22 As You s a e: “ins i u ional educa ion is a pedagogical o m shaped h ough-
ou his o y o ci iliza ion by a ious social p ocesses.”23 Al hough p e-school educa-
ional ins i u ions, ha is You a ea o expe ise Aleksand a, is a much newe 24 phe-
nomena o socie al ins i u ion han conse a o ies, You c i ique is, as I see i , no
leas in ela ion o my expe iences and o he esea ch indings, ele an ega ding con-
se a o ies. You mean, as I unde s and i , ha i is impo an o g asp hidden aspec s
o ins i u ional educa ion, ac o s ha de e mine i , and ha he unc ional alues o
ins i u ional educa ion, h ough such insigh s i could be possible o “. . . concei e a
di e en model o educa ion which would inca na e he p oclaimed objec i es mo e
17
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Cecilia Fe m Almq is ; Re- hinking Conse a o y Educa ion as an Open
Sys em
ully.”25 You impe us o o m educa ion as open sys ems, whe e s uden s, as me, a e
encou aged o c ea e hei own independen li e-plans is so inspi ing. In such open
educa ional p og ams, play cons i u e an impo an app oach.
You unde line ha play is “ he main oppo uni y o p ac ice he capaci y o lex-
ibili y and he main ac o in he de elopmen o ha capaci y and i s di e en i-
a ion”.26 I suppose hen ha play in play ul ways, whe e s uden s ans o m hem-
sel es in o di e en oles, could con ibu e o imagina ions o a ied u u e possibil-
i ies and si ua ions o becoming musicians. To use and play wi h musical ins u-
men s in a ied ways and new a angemen s could con ibu e o inc eased “capabili y
o lexibili y” and p e en “pa e ns o beha io s, and ela ed psychological unc-
ions, om becoming ixed and igid.”27 I seems so impo an , na u al, and o ally
con adic i e o he adi ional mas e -app en ice app oach. I wonde , how conse -
a o y educa ion could be ans o med owa ds a sys em ha s imula es and cul i -
a es c ea i i y h ough play?28 I hink ha You sugges ed s uc u al ea u es o play
“Imagina y plane” and “Rules” gi e good guidelines. To c ea e o imagine play ields
as a enas o lea ning and de elopmen whe e speci ic pa e ns a e ex ac ed in highe
music educa ion shouldn’ be complica ed. You sugges ha “ac s, beha io s, ela-
ionships, emo ions, pe cep ions, concep s e c”29 could be ex ac ed om eali y and
become con en o play in a model o eali y, which I immedia ely could see examples
o ela ed o my educa ion. In such ac i i y, we could ha e he possibili y o exp ess
ou expe iences “including eelings, hough s, phan asies e c”30 and de elop si es o
ou own as musicians. Then, wi h help o eache s we could ela e o he demands o
eali y, o he ules. And as You w i e, we could ind no el ways o beha ing, h ough
o malizing play ul p ocedu es. Fo example, pianis s could lea n om pe cussion-
is s’ “ ules” when i comes o wha ac s and beha io s ha a e expec ed om a musi-
cian. O cou se, his demands ha conse a o y eache s de elop knowledge abou
18
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Cecilia Fe m Almq is ; Re- hinking Conse a o y Educa ion as an Open
Sys em
“s uc u al cha ac e is ics o play” as i is “o u mos impo ance o he cons uc ion
o me hods and means o he de elopmen o c ea i e abili ies”31 among musicians.
You alk abou he impo ance o eeling sa e in he ela ion be ween adul and
child as a condi ion in he play si ua ion, which I ansla e o eache and s uden e-
la ionship. As I men ioned abo e, ha was no always pu in he o e on h ough
my music educa ional expe iences. Secondly, You unde line he necessi y o ha ing
“enough in ol emen and pa icipa ion in he e en s ha can p o ide oppo uni ies
o acqui e li ing expe ience and knowledge and o be exposed o adequa e, high qual-
i y indi ec ole models o c ea i e beha io .” I ha e been hinking abou ole models
Aleksand a. I had a wonde ul eache who jus died hal a yea ago. She was like he
mo he , g andmo he al eady, o h ee gene a ions o , no only pianis s, she was a pi-
anis , bu she augh also chambe music. We all had eache s who g ew up wi h he .
She was one o hese big eache s. So, an impo an ole model.
He app oach was cha ac e ized by in ini e cu iosi y and lo e owa ds music and
his ex eme engagemen and happiness. She was always eage o lea n a new piece.
She was old, bu I mean, she lo ed con empo a y music oo. She was open o any-
hing. She was a g ea cha ac e . She was li ing and always ull o high emo ions,
some imes eally, eally, big. Bu she lo ed in e es , she ha ed igno ance. She was also
qui e s ong in he opinion, and she could also say some eally hu ing pe sonal s u
some imes. Bu she was so lo ely. And she wo ked a lo mo e han she was paid o .
Then again, I hough abou his wi h ole-models. Wha kinds o u u es did she o -
e ? Tha we emale pianis s should be like mo he s and g andmo he s, who wo ked
wi hou being paid? O cou se, o li e o music and engagemen was so inspi ing
and impo an o ake in as a pa o who I would like o be as a musician o eache .
Bu , in his closed sys em, wha did she ac ually con ibu e wi h? When i comes o
e hinking and change, I mean? You men ion pedagogy as an impo an aspec o an
19
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Cecilia Fe m Almq is ; Re- hinking Conse a o y Educa ion as an Open
Sys em
open sys em, bu wha does ha eally mean? Wha can e en g ea indi iduals do
wi hin a closed sys em?
Thi dly, conce ning he condi ions o play, You unde line ha hey shall con-
en “ ich and di e se con ac s wi h pee s on he one hand, and on he o he oppo -
uni ies o be alone, shielded om he public and gi en space o non-sh i eled pe -
sonal, imi a e needs, eelings, and hough s.”32 I hink ha conse a o ies ha e a lo o
wo k o do, o c ea e such condi ions o play, which acco ding o You is a p e equis-
i e o cul i a ing play, i I look back a my expe iences, which I desc ibed o You
Aleksand a in he beginning o he le e . I seems so impo an ha his is done, o
be able o le music s uden s de elop and use imagina ion in conse a o y educa ion.
You alk abou elemen s o play as “ hy hm, balance, ha moniza ion, exchange, con-
as , connec ing and disconnec ing”33 which a e also elemen s o music. So, music
educa ion should be easy o iew and use as a play ield, whe e c ea i i y is e-ac i a ed
and de eloped, and whe e musical knowledge could be ewo ked and ans o med, i
I unde s and You igh ly. Bu You also unde line ha his can’ happen in a acuum,
i mus be ela ed in and owa ds communi ies and socie y o ha e pe manen and
de elopmen al consequences.
I I unde s and you co ec ly educa ional ins i u ions, as he conse a o y, could
be a place whe e c ea i i y is s imula ed and cul i a ed, i i is ans o med adically
in o a socie al a he han s ic ly an educa ional p ac ice. I assume, his would e-
qui e essen ial changes in he ela ionship be ween school and socie y and he social
eo ganiza ion wi h he school as an ins i u ion.34 I also ecognize such demands om
o he s udies I ha e aken pa o du ing my doc o a e, o example Small’s concep
o musicking and Veblen’s hough s ega ding communi y music.35
You h ee c ucial ea u es o ins i u ional educa ion a e easy o ecognize in my
conse a o y. Fo example, ha i is a his o ical phenomenon, which I al eady men-
20
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Cecilia Fe m Almq is ; Re- hinking Conse a o y Educa ion as an Open
Sys em
ioned ea lie . O he simila i ies be ween p e-school educa ion and conse a o y edu-
ca ion is, as I see i , ha i is decon ex ualized, sepa a ed om a li ing con ex , and
ha i seg ega es s uden s. You claim ha o unde s and educa ional issues one mus
s udy consequences o hese p e equisi es in ela ion o musicians, musicianship, and
educa ion, and o bo h o me and u u e expe iences. O he wise, educa ion hinde s
s uden s o mas e li e p oblems, ins ead o he opposi e, which is highly ecogniz-
able. 36
Also, I ag ee ha conse a o ies a e a i icial en i onmen s, ha “ ... eanima es
al eady es ablished (scien i ic) knowledge and i s misconcep ions, pedagogical p in-
ciples and dogma, implici li e philosophies, and p ejudice”.37 Acco dingly, we as s u-
den s, i I ans e You ideas o conse a o ies, miss he chance o become pe sons o
whom lea ning becomes meaning ul. To challenge he a i icial dogma would be
needed o help us become independen and capable o aking con ol o ou own li e.
O cou se, as I hink, his di e s be ween ins umen al depa men s, and also on
eache s’ ela ions o he conse a o y adi ion. As You w i e abou he need o pos-
ing exis en ial ques ions:
I educa ion doesn’ pose hese ques ions bu p ima ily de ines i sel as echno-
logy, i dep i es i sel o dealing wi h c ucial exis en ial ques ions. Bu suppose
he ask o educa ion – and, o cou se, o all hose who p ac ically o heo e ic-
ally deal wi h educa ion – is o concei e educa ion as a means o human’s libe -
a ion. 38
This, again, is ele an o conse a o ies o oday acco ding o my expe iences which I
w o e abou ea lie . Also, You claim ega ding closed sys ems, ha hey build upon
one-way di ec ed in e ac ion be ween eache s and lea ne s, ins ead o o e ing all in-
ol ed mu ual pa icipa ion, whe e bo h lea ne s and eache s a e ac i ely and
equally in ol ed, can be ecognized in conse a o ies as well.
21
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Cecilia Fe m Almq is ; Re- hinking Conse a o y Educa ion as an Open
Sys em
Finally, You a gumen ha mode n s udies o educa ion, no leas he ones who
wan o expand he bounda ies o pe sonhood de elopmen , mus cons i u e hem-
sel es as c i ical heo y o socie y. Following You, he ask o music educa ional e-
sea ch would be o encou age awa eness in he ield o conse a o y educa ion, no o
a ionalize exis ing policies. A he same ime pedagogical heo ies mus ake s u-
den s’ ac ual social ci cums ances in o accoun , and om he e ans o m ins i u-
ional educa ion o socie al educa ion. This is labelled by You as a pu pose o educa-
ion as an open sys em.39
Hence, such an educa ional sys em would ha e o be en i ely open o he imme-
dia e social en i onmen , o he cul u al o ms ha shape con empo a y sensibili ies,
and o he li e p oblema ics o music s uden s, including exchange o knowledge
be ween eache s and s uden s – sha ed li e li ing – as I in e p e You w i ings
Aleksand a. I hink i would be an as ic i conse a o ies could change om mas e -
app en iceship adi ions and compe i i eness, “in o he disco e y o he wo ld”40
whe e music s uden s li ed and g ew, and de eloped li e plans, h ough play, c ea i -
i y, and imagina ion. You sugges ion ha es ablishing own ways o “comp ehending
and communica ing wi h he wo ld”41 is he goal o educa ion, so ele an o conse -
a o y educa ion, o be encou aged and equipped o c ea e own li e plans as musi-
cians h ough “posi i e and suppo i e ela ionships” wi h eache s. You unde line
he impo ance o ha s uden s’ li ed li e a e p o ec ed, espec ed, and enhanced, in
such p ocesses aiming o cul i a e sel -conscious beings. This in u n, You con inue,
demands pa ne -like ela ions be ween eache s and s uden s. In addi ion, educa-
ional p ac ices mus happen in a a ie y o places, in encoun e wi h di e en
people, whe e s uden s can obse e and ake pa in many aspec s o musicians’ li e
and wo k, i I ans e You hough s o conse a o y educa ion. Ano he aspec You
b ing up o an open sys em is ha s uden s a e encou aged o in e ac wi h each
o he , aiming o de elop owa ds au onomous democ a ic indi iduals and musicians.
22
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Cecilia Fe m Almq is ; Re- hinking Conse a o y Educa ion as an Open
Sys em
As You also accen ua e, such holdings demand “change o many concep s ha egu-
la e oday’s educa ional p ac ice.”42 Wha is a musician? Wha cha ac e ize musicians’
wo king li e? How could lexible musicianship be cul i a ed? Hence, his shows el-
e an p oblema ics o music educa ional philosophy and esea ch, ha would be im-
po an o leade s and eache s in conse a o ies o ake pa o and e lec upon as I
see i , and which seems o be asked o in he esea ch ield as well.43 Thank You so
much, o opening my eyes o hese c i ical possibili ies.
I look o wa d o You esponse.
You s since ely,
Piano s uden
23
No es and Re e ences
1 Lo en Balho n, Die An hologie (Suh kamp, 2018).
2 Masa A amo iç, Li e- ul pedagogy. Child en’s pa icipa ion in ea ly
childhood educa ion. Diss. (Söde ö n Uni e si y, unpublished ma e ial,).
3 Cecilia Fe m Almq is and Ann We ne , “Main aining and challenging
conse a i e eaching and lea ning cul u e in conse a o ies: The need o
holis ic pedagogy in educa ional ields o ension,” Resea ch S udies in
Music Educa ion 46, no 2 (2023): 257-270,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1177/1321103X231187766
4 D. Jean Clandinin, “Na a i e Inqui y: A Me hodology o S udying Li ed
Expe ience,” Resea ch S udies in Music Educa ion 27 no 1 (2006): 44-54,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1177/1321103X060270010301; Ma ga e Ba e and
Sa ah S au e , Na a i e Inqui y in Music Educa ion: T oubling Ce ain y
(Sp inge , 2009).
5 Alexand a Ma jano ić, “Child play and c ea i i y.[Dečja ig a i k ea i no ,
1977, P os e ni P egled, “Ma xism and Educa ion” by Ružica Rosandić,
wi h some mino wo k by Ana Ma jano ić-Shane, and wi h imp o emen s,
help, and edi ing by Be h Fe hol and Maša A amo ić]” no ye published
in English. All igh s ese ed by Ana Ma jano ić-Shane, 1977/2022.
6 Ma jano ić, Child play and c ea i i y.
7 Ma jano ić, Child play and c ea i i y.
8 Gaun , Helena, Du y, Celia, Co ic, Ana, Gonzalez Delgado, Isabel. R.,
Messas, Linda, P yimenko, Oleksand and S eidahl, Hen ik “Musicians as
make s in socie y: A concep ual ounda ion o con empo a y P o essional
Highe Music Educa ion” F on ie s in Psychology 12 (2021)
h ps://doi.o g/10.3389/ psyg.2021.713648, p. 8.
9 Helena Gaun , Celia Du y, Ana Co ic, Isabel Gonzalez Delgado, Linda
Messas, Oleksand P yimenko, and Hen ik S eidahl, “Musicians as make s
in socie y: A concep ual ounda ion o con empo a y P o essional Highe
Music Educa ion,” F on ie s in Psychology 12 (2021): 8p.
h ps://doi.o g/10.3389/ psyg.2021.713648
Cecilia Fe m Almq is and Ca l Holmg en, “A Na a i e Inqui y o Female
Conse a oi e S uden s’ Voices Rega ding Fu u es in he Male-Domina ed
Wo ld o Wes e n Classical Music: The Communica i e o Con olled
Mi o ing Pianis Body?” Music Educa ion Resea ch 27 no 3 (2025): 1–13.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/14613808.2025.2504407
10 Fe m Almq is and Holmg en, A Na a i e Inqui y o Female
Conse a oi e S uden s.
11 One o he coun ies, Es onia, Finland o Hunga y whe e he in e iews
we e conduc ed.
No es and Re e ences
12 Ann We ne and Cecilia Fe m Almq is , “’De inns s ycken som yska
pojka spela ’ Kons uk ione a na ion och kön i klassisk
musikunde isning” [’The e a e pieces ha Russian boys play’.
Cons uc ions o na ion and gende in classical music educa ion].” In
Klassisk musik i de mode na mediesamhälle : Kons uk ione ,
ö es ällninga , ö handlinga , edi ed by Åsa Be gman and Tobias Pon a a.
Makadam ö lag, 2024.
13 Alexand a Ma jano ić, “C i ique o he ins i u ionalisa ion o p eschool
educa ion and heses o an ou line o a concep ion o socie al educa ional
as an open sys em. A lec u e om a local Yugosla con e ence o he
Union o O ganiza ions o Child Ca e and Upb inging -T aining he s a
o di ec wo k wi h p eschool child en in he ligh o accomplishing non-
ins i u ional p og ams,” No i Sad 1982, published in he jou nal
“P edškolsko De e,” [P eschool Child 1982/2022, 12 no. 4, pp. 403-411.
All igh s ese ed by Ana Ma jano ic-Shane] No ye published in
English.
14 In all h ee coun ies in ol ed, he e a e possibili ies o s udy music
pe o mance a PhD-le el. See Ann We ne and Cecilia Fe m Almq is
“Ma ke ing Conse a oi e Educa ion: The Employable Whi e Musicians o
Eu opean Classical Music.” In Highe Music Educa ion and Employabili y
in a Neolibe al Wo ld, edi ed by Raine P okop and Rosa. Bloomsbu y
Academic, 2024.
15 Kim Bu well, “App en iceship in Music: A Con ex ual S udy o
Ins umen al Teaching and Lea ning.” In e na ional Jou nal o Music
Educa ion 31 no. 3 (2013): 276–291.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1177/0255761411434501.; Kim Bu well, Gemma Ca ey,
and Dawn Benne , “Isola ion in S udio Music Teaching: The Sec e
Ga den.” A s and Humani ies in Highe Educa ion 18 no 4 (2019): 372–
394. h ps://doi.o g/10.1177/1474022217736581.; Leah Cou s,
“Empowe ing S uden s o Take Owne ship o Thei Lea ning: Lessons
om One Piano Teache ’s Expe iences wi h T ans o ma i e Pedagogy.”
In e na ional Jou nal o Music Educa ion 37 no 3 (2019): 493–507.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1177/0255761418810287.; Helena Gaun , “One- o-One
Tui ion in a Conse a oi e: The Pe cep ions o Ins umen al and Vocal
Teache s.” Psychology o Music 36 no 2 (2008): 215–245.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1177/0305735607080827.; Ee a Kaisa Hy y-
Beihamme ,. “Mas e -App en ice Rela ion in Music Teaching: F om a
Sec e Ga den o T anspa en Modelling.” In No dic Resea ch in Music
Educa ion Yea book. Vol. 12, edi ed by S en-E ik Holge sen and Siw
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
a e iewed as opposi es, such as, echnique and a , in o de o c ea e some hing new
and di e en om hei ea lie essence. He spoke o a comple e and inal econcili-
a ion be ween o m and con en ha leads o a pe ec edemp ion o he human be-
ing. In his book,
E os and Ci iliza ion
, Ma cuse saw “ he e o ic econcilia ion
(union) o man and na u e in he aes he ic a i ude, whe e o de is beau y and wo k
is play” (Ma cuse, 1966, p. 176). In he same chap e , Ma cuse con inues wi h: “The
play impulse is he ehicle o his libe a ion. The impulse does no aim a playing
‘wi h’ some hing; a he i is he play o li e i sel , beyond wan and ex e nal compul-
sion— he mani es a ion o an exis ence wi hou ea and anxie y, and hus he mani-
es a ion o eedom i sel ” (ibid., p. 187). Ma cuse’s wo ds esona e wi h some o
Schille ’s ideas. Among bo h schola s, we see he e is no play bu , a he , wi h he
awakening o beau y, o he eign o beau y, he beau i ul aes he ic socie y is he uni-
ied o m and con en which acili a e he exis ence o a u u e socie y. “In a genu-
inely humane ci iliza ion, he human exis ence will be play a he han oil…Then,
man is ee o ‘play’ wi h his acul ies and po en iali ies and wi h hose o na u e, and
only by ‘playing’ wi h hem is he ee” (ibid., p. 188). These ema ks may sound ab-
s ac , bu in he ou h pa o his a icle, I will p esen se e al examples ha will
demons a e how Ma cuse’s a gumen s co espond wi h Schille ’s concep ual oo s
in con empo a y, ealis ic amewo ks ha a e ealized in a ype o u opia.
Museums as s ep owa d a socie y as a wo k o a ?
In e ec , museums could ha e es ablished hemsel es a he e y c oss oads o u o-
pian e olu ions. This may ha e con ibu ed o a change in he ace o socie y while
in pu sui o he concep o socie y as a wo k o a . Museums ha e all he elemen s o
a cul u al mic o-cosmos while ca ying he po en ial o a u opian e olu ionism in
he spi i o Ma cuse’s ision, as well as he abili y o c ea e a be e socie y as Schille
en isioned. The museum as a wo ld o a and i s wide ange o ac i i ies—a la ge
pa o which is play ac i i y conduc ed in he amewo k o museum educa ion and
32
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
aining depa men s—seems like an ideal pla o m o c ea ing change and pe haps
e en expo ing u opian e olu ions. Bu his did no happen. Wi h cau ion, bu also
wi h a ce ain deg ee o esol e, i can be said ha a e olu iona y call o ac ion, e en
one ha p oduces change in he long un, combining aes he ics and play, has ye o
be hea d o seen by museums in he wo ld and p obably will no bu geon in he u-
u e. This is despi e he ac ha museums oday a e in oducing modi ica ions in
hei educa ion and aining me hods, and he ole o play ulness is inc easing and oc-
cupying a signi ican sha e o he museum’s ac i i ies. I w o e abou his oge he
wi h my colleagues in an a icle ha indica es how change is aking place in museums
as hey inc easingly u n owa d play ulness. (B ude man e al., 2020). In his a icle,
we ocused ex ensi ely on he gen e o imme si e play as adop ed by he Is ael Mu-
seum in Je usalem (and hen ollowed by o he museums h oughou Is ael and he
es o he wo ld, such as he Du ch Rijks Museum) as an example o he use o play
as a way o b inging he di e se popula ions ha isi he museum physically close o
he a ious objec s in he museum. Howe e , his play ulness and he a exhibi ions
on display a he Is ael Museum, he Rijks Museum, and o he museums wo ldwide
ha adop ed play ul app oaches, did no in ac igni e a spa k o change ia social and
cul u al p ocesses. In Is ael, he coun y which I ocused on, museums did no help
s op an i-democ a ic p ocesses ha escala ed du ing his pe iod, no did hey con ib-
u e o a change in consciousness ega ding he ongoing conques in he dep hs o he
Pales inian e i o ies. I o en seems ha a as a u opian e olu iona y ool, o he
a is as a o chbea e in he o e on o he camp, as Ma cuse depic ed i , is nei he
one no he o he .
In he ollowing chap e s I will illus a e he main easons, i.e., a g ea depend-
ence on go e nmen echnoc acy and p i a e capi al, which p e en museums and
o he cul u al ins i u ions, such as epe oi e hea e s, om ad ancing owa d he e-
olu iona y c oss oad and hen subsequen ly inducing change. I will begin wi h a
33
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
sho o e iew ha will shed ligh on he echnoc acy concep and hen I will exam-
ine i s ela ionship wi h a and museums. A simila analysis will hen be conduc ed
in ega d o weal hy owne s o capi al.
Pa Two: A e Technoc acy, A and Museums
Compa ible?
Be o e I elabo a e upon he complex ela ions be ween he echnoc a ic eli e, a , and
museums, I would like o e iew and cha ac e ize he concep o echnoc acy. Who
a e he echnoc a s? Who a e he scien is s, academia, and poli icians ha Ma cuse
has so capably desc ibed? I will use his de ini ion, which seems qui e comp ehensi e,
and w i en wi hou an agonism owa d his class:
Le us i s look a he so-called new wo king class, which is supposed o consis
o echnicians, enginee s, specialis s, scien is s, e c., who a e engaged in he p o-
duc ion p ocess, albei in a special posi ion. Owing o hei key posi ion, his
eally seems o ep esen he nucleus o an objec i e e olu iona y o ce, bu a
he same ime i is a a o i e child o he es ablished sys em, which also shapes
he consciousness o his g oup (Ma cuse, 1970, p. 60).
These a e he e o e, as so succinc ly desc ibed abo e, he echnoc a s. In he second
hal o he 20 h cen u y, his g oup included isiona ies, ailblaze s, and u u is s,
who o his day ha e had a a - eaching in luence on Uni ed S a es policy in he go -
e nmen , he economy, u ban planning, and na ional nuclea policy. Examples a e
An hony J. Wiene and He man Kahn who we e membe s and ounde s o he con-
se a i e Hudson Ins i u e. Wiene se ed o wo yea s as a consul an on u ban
planning in he Nixon adminis a ion. Kahn suppo ed he possibili y o a nuclea
wa , and his cha ac e was a sou ce o inspi a ion o he sa i ical black comedy, Doc-
o S angelo e, by S anley Kub ick.
34
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
The echnoc acy os e a ies om pe iod o pe iod, ye i always consis s o sci-
en is s, u u is s, en ep eneu s and capi alis s. A e Wo ld Wa II, nuclea scien is s
led he echnoc acy. Today, he echnoc a ic leade ship is composed o he digi al in-
o ma ion eli e. Google, Amazon, Apple, Mic oso , Facebook, he anshumanis
mo emen , Raymond Ku zweil and he singula i a ians—all, wi hou excep ion, ep-
esen oday he connec ions be ween scien i ic esea ch, echnological de elopmen ,
capi al, and he o en in ica e and mul i ace ed ies o he co ido s o powe . The
cons i u ion o he echnoc acy a ies acco ding o he pe iod, bu no in he pa e n
o i s ope a ions.
E en oday, as ea lie no ed, he in o ma ion sec o p oduces (membe s o ) he
economic eli e ha con inues o igh en i s g ip on cul u e and human socie y. This
is achie ed by means o a g ea a ie y o echnological ad ances, p incipally de elop-
men s in a i icial in elligence and obo ics ha silen ly bu e ec i ely a e elimina ing
nume ous p o essions and adding o unemploymen . We hea and ead epo s abou
excessi e su eillance and o cou se in he epo s we ackle on he e hics o a i icial
in elligence echnology (Zubo , 2019; Bi d, Fox-Skelly e al., 2020). In he u u e,
he numbe s o he unemployed will g adually inc ease, and his silen e olu ion in
li e as we know i emains unchallenged, wi hou signi ican c i icism coming om
he a wo ld and ce ainly no he museums hemsel es.
The wo ld o science, along wi h i s echnological de elopmen s, has gained signi-
ican p es ige in ecen cen u ies (Houweling and Wol , 2020, pp. 1432-1450; Sp a ,
[1667] 2002, pp. 177-179). The public’s imp ession o echnology emains posi i e,
and echnological in en ions a e conside ed i s and o emos a endency ha is a-
o able and ha enhances he way o li e. This is ue e en when i becomes e iden
ha echnological ad ances o in en ions o en ca y a hea y p ice, such as: en i on-
men al pollu ion om ca s, ac o ies, plas ics, ai planes; wa s on a global scale; he
nuclea ace among he g ea es powe s on Ea h; and nuclea acciden s on an unima-
35
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
ginable scale, e en in peace ime nuclea acili ies. Despi e all hese, he p es ige o sci-
ence and echnology has no been comp omised. The ela ionship be ween echnolo-
gical ad ancemen , capi al, and he bu eauc acy ha ca ies ou hei de elopmen
wi h go e nmen al suppo has no changed. In ac , i appea s ha he au a su -
ounding hese echnological de elopmen s has in ac expanded, and a emp s by
membe s o he Uni ed S a es Cong ess o b eak up Facebook, Google and
Mic oso , as majo monopolies such as he S anda d Oil Company we e disman led
in he pas , is no bea ing ui a his s age.
Why, hen, despi e he eno mous amoun o damage in lic ed by echnological
de elopmen s on socie y (ca ying wi h i a possible unde mining o go e nmen al
ins i u ions), cul u e (leading o a cul u al homogeniza ion and he e asu e o cul-
u al di e ences and di e si y), and on he indi idual le el ( u ning he indi idual
in o an incapaci a ed pe son en i ely dependen on echnology); why, despi e he
“ho o s o indus ializa ion,” as Ma cuse (1970a, p. 27) e med i , has he owe ing
s a u e o echnology emained so imposing? Why is he economic and poli ical
powe o i s de elope s g owing? And why a e mos o us willing o go, like he blind,
in he oo s eps o he echnoc a ic eli e? Finally, all hese e lec ions lead o he ques-
ion mos ele an o his a icle: Despi e he ob ious ailings o echnology, why has
Schille ’s and Ma cuse’s ision no ma e ialized, and why ha e a , play and beau y
no healed he su e ings o humani y?
Pa Th ee: 1. A in he Shadow o Technoc acy:
Belo ed Enemies, Play and A unde he Pa onage
o Law, Wo k and Planning
Among he classes ha o med du ing he Indus ial Re olu ion, and wi h he in-
c ease in he scien i ic- echnological men ali y, especially among he wo king classes,
aes he ic ac i i ies and play we e conside ed a so o ou -o -place pleasu e, a o m o
36
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
social diso de , a ype o ac i i y ha in ol ed a malicious aspec , and some imes also
a sou ce o poli ical un es . A simila a i ude was exp essed owa d any c ea i e ac i -
i y ha had no goal o pu pose, and pa icula ly owa d he ield o a (Ma cuse,
1978, pp. 124, 125; Schille , 1986).
This pe spec i e, oo ed in he echnoc a ic wo ld iew, iews li e as one long and
pe se e an s uggle o be powe ul, o assume con ol, o gain knowledge, abili ies
and g ea e esou ces han o he s. Li e is also a s uggle be ween he indi idual and
him o he sel because o he con lic s i c ea es. Mo eo e , due o he incessan desi e
o powe , socie y is con inuously unde he h ea o des uc ion and diso de .
Howe e , o a ce ain deg ee chaos can be con ained by
cul u e
i i is an icipa ed and
domes ica ed. The need o domes ica e chaos became a bu ning issue in he 19 h cen-
u y when Wes e n socie y unde wen a wa e o shocks, i.e., he indus ial, social, and
cul u al changes in Eu ope (C a y, 1999, pp. 13-14).
A , h ough museums and play, and la e p incipally by means o ele ision and
spo s, became he main ools in domes ica ion, seda ion, con ainmen . These ools
we e used as a legi ima e coun e o ce, a o ce endo sed by he social mains eam. A
and play a e he e o e pe cei ed as a o ce ha does no h ea en he echnoc a ic p o-
jec and does no o esee a u u e, a o ce ha o ganizes socie y on he basis o an aes-
he ic o de . Fo he indi idual, he aes he ic expe ience has become a ype o legi im-
a e exp ession, a way o es anging and expelling an i-social d i es and endencies, li-
bidinal excesses, agg essi eness, and all hose o he o ms socie y does no conside
use ul.
Th ough a and o he aes he ic exp essions, such as spo s and play, he indi-
idual is allowed o pu ge him o he sel o eelings o ange , age, incompe ence, in-
compa ibili y—all hose emo ions and eelings ha i pe mi ed ac i e poli ical ex-
p ession, would h ea en he no mal cou se o socie y and cause dis up ion (Ado no
and Ho kheime , 1993, pp. 168-169; Ma cuse, 1978, pp. 118-124). A and play a e
37
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
o e ed as an asy wo lds whe e disappoin men s om he ou side wo ld can be e-
sol ed; hey can be app oached om ano he angle, ede ined, eplayed, un il inally
hey a e o e come. Thus, wi hou he unnecessa y isk o e olu ion and wi hou he
need o he co esponding supp ession, and while e en de i ing a ce ain pleasu e
om i , humans hus accommoda e he opp ession buil in o hei echnology-sa u -
a ed li es yles.
Examples o assuaging us a ions by means o a o play a e also no lacking
oday: mo ies, amusemen pa ks, shows, conce s, museums, Disney Wo ld, eali y
p og ams whose a is ic and play alue is e y low bu highly e ec i e in d aining ex-
cess us a ion. These means also p o ide iewe s wi h escape om daily d udge y
on one hand and g an new alidi y o he indi idual’s sel -abili ies on he o he (Ad-
o no and Ho kheime , 1993, pp. 174-180; Haug, 1986, Chap e One). A , in i s many
o ms, is he e o e an a i icial Ga den o Eden o he opp essed and a sa e y al e
o he opp esso . On one hand, i soo hes he so ow and su e ing o he powe less,
weake membe s o socie y, who a e mos ly us. On he o he hand, i p o ides an illu-
sion o powe o hose same weakened people, who, once again, a e us. The a dis-
played in museums, ac ed ou on he hea e boa ds, played in he spo s leagues—
he play ulness inhe en o all hese, he pu poseless enjoymen hey all o e , he
pleasu e de i ed om an asy—all hese seda e he subjec , while he eal powe e-
mains in he hands o hose ins i u ions and hei sponso s who con ol hese cul-
u al esou ces wi hou h ea om any social sec o .2
In he eyes o he eli e g oups o knowledge, indus y and capi al, aes he ic c e-
a i i y ( ha p oduces aes he ic o de ) and he enjoymen o his p oduc ion has
he e o e a highly signi ican bene i : They d ain ene gy excesses and channel he de-
2 On he dialec ics be ween accele a ed de elopmen and he need o con ol ha is buil
in o mode nism, see Jona han C a y, 1999, pp. 13-14. In ega d o a and cul u e o he
masses, see: Theodo Ado no and Max Ho kheime , 1993, pp. 178-192; Tama Liebes,
2004, pp. 169-173.
38
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
s uc i e po en ial la en o he masses in o ha mless amusemen . The ha mony ha
is a buil -in elemen in he o ms o a and play keeps socie y in line, and o de p e-
se es he s abili y o he gene al public and enables he sus ained and unin e up ed
planning o he u u e.
A and he aes he ic expe ience a e he e o e a ype o belo ed enemy— he same
ebellious “o he ” who poses a pe pe ual challenge ye e u ns and is conque ed and
abso bed in he calm ab ic o law and o de . The capabili y o a o play his ole
s ems om he canonical aes he ic ideal o “uni y in di e si y” ha can be ound in
he (a is ic) wo k (Hein, 1976, p. 145; McKee, 1977, pp. 14-21). The abso p ion o
con lic and i s con ainmen wi hin he uling poli ical sys em hus ex ends he abil-
i y o con ol he exis ing o de .3 The social body, acco ding o his pe spec i e, is a
complex ye comple e con igu a ion, consis ing o a ich di e si y o a iances ha
can be e ec i ely con ained, a syn hesis ha c ea es a cohesion o h ea ening di-
e si y. Rebellious ges u es unde go a apid p ocess o domes ica ion, and hey delic-
a ely and sh ewdly a e ans o med om a h ea ening essence in o he ashion o he
day, i.e., a con en ional e e yday si ua ion (Hein, 1976, p. 145; McKee, 1977). In he
p esen , a ious o ms o high a cleanse and pu i y he blun o ms o p o es o he
pas . Jazz and ock music, which we e ini ially ma ginal phenomena, became assimil-
a ed unde he label o a an -ga de music, o p og essi e music. The Dada Mo e-
men , including i s a echniques, was ans o med om a mo emen ha kicked
agains he con en ions in o a p oli ic sou ce o a is ic language and eloca ed i sel
a he hea o a is ic consensus. Pop a , an i-a , all hese and mo e we e d i en
om he ma gins o he cen e o highe a , and hei adical alue was swep away in
i s own mains eam.
3 Ado no and Ho kheime in hei a icle, “
The Cul u e Indus y: Enligh enmen as
Mass Decep ion,
” p esen in de ail he p ocess o how he hegemonic g oup, i.e., he
capi alis s, con ol h ough mass cul u e o wha hey call he “cul u e indus y,” he
social o de ha enables hei ule. See Ado no and Ho kheime , 1993, pp. 158-180.
39
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
The poli ical ole o he aes he ic expe ience comes down o, he e o e, he p e-
se a ion and main enance o he social s a us quo. In any case, a and play a e used
o neu alize eelings o disappoin men and po en ial e olu iona y sen imen s (De-
bo d, 2001, F agmen 58; Hein, 1976, p. 145). A he same ime, he s yles c ea ed by
he ene gies o opposi ional elemen s a e es ained by p ocesses in ol ing he ac-
knowledgmen o he es ablishmen and i s suppo , and hus p o es o s and ebels
e en ually become assimila ed by he es ablishmen . The ana chy o a is di ec ed o-
wa d i sel , and a he end o he day, i becomes a ic im o law and o de .
In he sec ions abo e, we ha e become acquain ed wi h se e al c i ical app oaches
ha ocus on he sub e si e h ea inhe en o a and play ulness, and abou he ne-
cessi y o neu alize his h ea . The uling eli es, who ha e in e ec shaped he ab ic
o indus ial-capi alis ic socie y o he las wo hund ed yea s, ha e achie ed his by
channeling play, a and design in o benign and ha mless ou le s. In con as o hese
pe cep ions, he e is ano he app oach ha ea s he subjec om an en i ely di e -
en angle. The h ea o o de and law is no he inbuil elemen in a , acco ding o
his pe spec i e. The schola s who ep esen his app oach pu o wa d a comple ely
in e se a gumen . They seek o ind o de con a ily in a , and a ibu e such im-
po ance o i ha hey claim his o de is in e ec he ac o ha cons uc s eali y i -
sel in socie y. The human c ea ion, in all i s a ying o ms, hese hinke s a gue, is a
pa adigm ha enables mos human beings o unde s and he wo ld mos accu a ely,
including i s law and o de . Fo we unde s and he wo ld i sel — he wo ld ha we
did no c ea e and do no con ol—in he bes way p ecisely h ough ou li le in en-
ions, which a e mic ocosms o wo ld o de . The wo ld ha is e ealed o us in i s
ba es o m is a chao ic and incomp ehensible wo ld. I is an absu d and meaningless
wo ld and i will emain so i we don’ impose meaning upon i by using ou abili y
as human beings o o ganize wo lds o meaning o ou own (Ca lyle, 2005, p. 8078;
Dewey, 1980, pp. 25, 49-51; Shus e man, 2002, pp. 97-105; Zel ne , 1975, p. 50). Con-
sequen o hese ac ions o a o mal (in he sense o “ o m” and in dis inc ion om
40
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
“con en ”), aes he ic o ganiza ion, we lea n o app ecia e complex appea ances o o -
de ha g adually inc ease in complexi y du ing ou li e ime.
Wi hin such a con ex as he abo e, he aes he ic abili y is no ac ually a coun e -
o ce bu a he a posi i e, obedien and amiable agen o poli ical indoc ina ion. An
example o his can be obse ed in Pla o’s w i ing. In his essay,
The Republic
(
Po-
li eia
), he explains abou he impo ance o music o a ce ain kind. I child en o he
gua ds lis en o i , a lo e o o de will ise up in hem, and his will be con e ed in o
a ype o discipline and obedience o laws (Pla o,
Republic, Vol. III
, 1975, pp. 260-
263). The same ype o hinking is also p esen in The
Symposium
dialogue in which
an ini ial assessmen o beau y—whe he sensible, conc e e o ma e ial—is conduc-
ed, and which should ul ima ely se e as a s ep o wa d owa d he app ecia ion and
admi a ion o abs ac o ms o poli ical ins i u ions (Pla o,
Symposium
, 1975, p.
139). This app oach is also cen al o Kan ’s aes he ics. In his book,
C i ique o he
Powe o Judgmen
, he w i es abou he imagina y o ce in cha ge o collec ing ma-
e ials and hei assimila ion be o e c ea ing a concep ual o de and imposing i as a
o m in he wo ld (Hein, 1976, pp. 146-147; Kan , 1969, Clause 49, pp. 130-134).
The wo app oaches e iewed abo e emphasize he powe and impo ance o
play and a , which also exempli y he ole o a ee aes he ic ac i i y wi hou a pu -
pose. In e ec , hese o ces a e “ ec ui ed” o he pu poses o go e nance, sus aining
he exis ing o de as well as he o ganiza ion o he u u e by hose who know wha is
igh o socie y. On one hand, play and a a e pe cei ed as sub e si e and h ea en-
ing ac i i ies, and he e o e hey mus be con olled and subjec ed o he ules o law
and powe ( he i s app oach). On he o he hand, he aes he ic embodied in hem is
pe cei ed as oo ed in he base o hings in he wo ld and holds he key o knowing
he wo ld and i s pe cep ions o o de ( he second app oach). F om wo opposing
ends in he pe cep ion o he ole o a , he esul is pa adoxically, “one.” A is held
41
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
o e a long pe iod o ime, when his/he posi i e ac ions amoun o a esis ance
whose pu pose is o
bo h
physically and poli ically clean up he en i onmen (Cha -
e on and Picke ill, 2010, p. 480).
The ac i is o he 21s cen u y, namely, he hypo-mode n ac i is , has e ol ed
and depa ed om he p agma ic ac i is o he pos mode n e a. He o she is no he
consumma e oman ic igu e o esis ance, wi h o elock lu e ing in he wind, b an-
dishing a speech ull o e o and e olu iona y ja gon, as he ypical mode nis ac -
i is . The ac i ism o oday is o en based on a p ocess ha is in con as o he adi-
ional p ocesses o “being an ac i is ” and on he ejec ion o he old mindse o he
denuncia ion o he “o he .”4 The mili an ac i is o he 20 h cen u y was buil
la gely on he de ini ion o his/he “o he ”: capi alis , ascis , dic a o and simila —
oge he wi h a deeply en enched ejec ion o his “o he .” The con empo a y ac i -
is , i.e., he hypo-mode n one, being a di ec successo o he pos mode n ac i is , ob-
jec s o he bina y di isions o “o he ness” and o alues. Accep ance o a a ie y o
alues, a p agma ic o ien a ion in achie ing goals, p o essionalism—all hese dis in-
guish he ac i is ic poli ical being o he hypo-mode nis (ibid., p. 480). The new
mo emen s a e ma ked by a s ong desi e o ejec simplis ic di isions be ween he
ac i is and his/he “o he .” Al hough he “o he ” o he new ac i is is s ill owne o
he means, capi al, eal es a e, i.e., he exploi ing capi alis and he like, as he mo e-
men s become mo e local, he “o he ” who has now become he a ge o he ac i -
is ’s labo s, is o en he non-mili an and commonplace ci ilian. So, pa adoxically,
he e is o en a lack o us be ween hose who p esen hemsel es as p o essional
p oduce s o social change, who know wha is igh , who ha e he ools and skills o
c ea e esis ance, and be ween he ci izens hemsel es who a e supposed o bene i
om he change (Anonymous, 1999, pp. 160-166; Cha e on, 2006, pp. 259-282).
4 Ci y-based social communes named a e he old kibbu zim, ha wo k and li e wi hin
he u ban communi ies.
48
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
Hypo-mode n ac i is s a e engaged in esis ance ha is no a all oman ic and in
ac ions ha cause him o he o “ge di y” while dealing wi h he daily squabbles
hey encoun e . Hypo-mode nis s end o ejec ideals, shake o s agnan iden i ies
and abandon he anscenden al sea ch o he ideal good subjec . Ins ead o all hese,
he in ol emen in poli ical p ojec s is de ined ia a complex and in ica e mul ipli-
ci y o iden i ies ha a e always in a p ocess o e ol emen and mo emen on he
basis o expe ience and nego ia ion (Cas ee, 2003, pp. 3-12; Gibson and G aham,
2006; G osz, 1999; Wha mo e, 1997, pp. 37-53). Con empo a y ac i is s a e in ol ed
in new “sel ” p ac ices, and hei poli ical iden i y g ows om hei daily ac ions,
which a e aimed a speci ic p ojec s and campaigns.
Ma cuse’s book,
The End o U opia
, consis s o a collec ion o lec u es and dis-
cussions ha documen s Ma cuse’s con e sa ions wi h Ge man s uden s in 1967. In
his book, he image o he hypo-mode n ac i is can be iden i ied by his/he ac ions
whose ea u es we a e amilia wi h oday. In one discussion in he book, Ma cuse e-
sponds o a pa icipan who asks, “I he i al need o eedom and happiness is o be
se up as a biological need, how is i o ma e ialize?” The ollowing exce p is om
Ma cuse’s answe , which sounds o me like an incisi e obse a ion made by a e olu-
iona y u u is wi h a iew owa d hypo-mode n hough and ac ion oday:
Ma cuse: By “ma e ially con e ible” you mean: How does i go in o e ec in
social p oduc ion and inally e en in he physiological s uc u e i sel ? I ope -
a es h ough he cons uc ion o a paci ied en i onmen . I ied o indica e his
in speaking o elimina ing he e o o capi alis indus ializa ion. Wha I
mean is an en i onmen ha p o ides oom o hese new needs p ecisely
h ough i s new, paci ied cha ac e , ha is, ha can enable hem o be ma e i-
ally, e en physiologically con e ed h ough a con inuous change in human
na u e, namely h ough he educ ion o cha ac e is ics ha oday mani es
hemsel es in a ho ible way: b u ali y, c uel y, alse he oism, alse i ili y, com-
pe i ion a any p ice. (Ma cuse, 1970)
49
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
Hypo-mode nism is i s o all he c ea ion o a peace-seeking en i onmen , an en i -
onmen ha a emp s o achie e genuine change in human na u e. In he example I
p o ide below om a numbe o campaigns ha ha e been ca ied ou in Is ael,
hypo-mode n agen s o change u ilize a and play as key ools in c ea ing bo h en i -
onmen al and human change. Un o una ely due o limi a ion o wo ds, he example
is lacking and limi ed in scope.
“Cul u e Mo emen ” as social-a is ic Mo emen o U opian
Aes he ic Play-O ien ed Realiza ion
In he yea 2004, six young a g adua es om high schools a ound he coun y con-
ened oge he and decided o apply hei a o social pu poses. A e comple ing
one yea o communi y se ice in he ields o a and educa ion, he six ounded
“Cul u e Mo emen ”, which es ablished g oups o a is s-educa o s who we e chosen
o wo k in he pe iphe al popula ed a eas o Is ael in wha hey call: “u ban kib-
bu zim”5
The idea was simple: All hose aking pa in he p ojec wen o li e in he owns
and neighbo hoods in he geo-poli ical pe iphe y o Is ael and engaged in a is ic-
educa ional ac i i ies wi h child en, you h and adul s. The no ion behind he p ojec
was o ge hese a is s-educa o s o see hese new places as hei home, so hey would
become a ached o hese loca ions and a he same ime commi o he cul u al ac i -
i ies hey launched he e, ac i i ies ha would be much mo e han jus p o essional
wo k whose goal was o ea n a li ing. The mo emen ’s si e s a es ha membe s o he
Cul u e Mo emen “a e commi ed o c ea ion, educa ion and cul u e and hese a e
hei main mission and ac i i y a he loca ion […]” “Cul u e Mo emen ” appea s o
espouse in i s ision he o he u opian eali y ha Ma cuse o esaw: “The uni ica ion
o echnique and a , wo k and play, o he ‘kingdom o necessi y’ and he ‘kingdom
5h ps:// a bu mo emen .o g/ .
50
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
o eedom’ […] his means an ‘aes he ic’ eali y—socie y as a wo k o a .” (Ma cuse,
1971, p. 185)
In wha sense, hen, is Cul u e Mo emen a hypo-mode n mo emen ? I seems
ha qui e a ew o he s a emen s no ed abo e and on he mo emen ’s websi e a e e-
miniscen o mode nis mani es os o anach onis ic idealis ic mode nis g oups.
Howe e , se e al ea u es o “Cul u e Mo emen ” indica e a d ama ic di e ence
be ween he o me and he mode nis mo emen s ha a emp ed o change he
wo ld. “Cul u e Mo emen ” indeed aspi es o shape he image o Is aeli socie y, and,
in his aspec , i bea s he mode nis inge p in , bu a he same ime he mo emen
ocuses on a small communi y h ough local ac i i y in he egion i wan s o em-
powe . “Cul u e Mo emen ” is no in e es ed in moun ing a e olu ion ha will
smash o pieces he wo ld as we know i . I s people belie e in a me hodical “doing,”
on a small scale, a ocused “doing” in which
pa hos
and
mani es os
do no command
a main objec i e, bu a he whe e he pu pose is he a is ic en u e—anonymous
bu in ima e—which is pi o al o he communi y whe e hey belong and whe e hey
sha e each day wi h i s membe s.
The a o “Cul u e Mo emen ” is an e hical-p ac ical means o changing he
wo ld, bu his change esides in small-scale, e e yday ac ions ha a e eplica ed ia
ha d wo k. They adhe e o Ma cuse’s mo o, “socie y as a wo k o a ” (ibid., p. 185),
while Schille ’s philosophical spi i walks be ween he lines o heo y and p axis. The
mode nis mani es o mo emen s, such as, he Dada Mo emen , Fluxus, Fu u ism,
Exp essionism, and mo e, we e ul ima ely p eoccupied wi h an audience ha would
ollow hem, and, mos impo an ly, obse e hei wo k. Whe eas, “Cul u e Mo e-
men ” is de o ed o a local communi y and no an audience; hey a e commi ed o
51
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
“doing” and no “showing.” In his espec , hey hemsel es decla e: “To say a ewell
o he audience and connec wi h he communi y!”6
Ano he quali y ha makes “Cul u e Mo emen ” a hypo-mode n mo emen is
i s hizoma ic-ne wo k s uc u e. I is a mo emen ha sp eads i s socio-cul u al
agenda by means o a b anching-o p ocedu e, ypical o a ho izon al ne wo k. The
hizome has no s a ing poin and no p ima y p inciple. I consis s en i ely o em-
b anchmen s, mazes, unexpec ed encoun e s. The hizome is de ined by connec i i y
(Deleuze and Gua a i, 1987, pp. 7-15; Lech e, 2003, Volume I, pp. 186-188). The
hizoma ic aspec o “Cul u e Mo emen ” is mani es ed in he ac ha i is sp ead
ou o e 15 locali ies in he Is aeli social and geog aphical pe iphe y and numbe s
some 1500 membe s, and all his wi hou a igid leade ship hie a chy.
Pa Fi e: Summa y
Can a and play assume a ole in signi ican social change? This a icle indica es ha
his ole is indeed p ac icable and, as such, one ha ul ills i sel in small social ame-
wo ks. The la e akes place in he con ex o communi ies in which o ces o change
use a and play o c ea ing a be e socie y and mo e o less consciously s i e o c e-
a e “socie y as a wo k o a .” I would appea ha he p ima acie na u al space, he
sou ce si e o he call o change—led by a and play—would seem he ins i u ional-
ized a wo ld. Bu , oddly enough, he e is clea e idence ha his same si e is se ing
opp essi e o ces in socie y. The wo po en ial ac o s o social change, ha is, o a
and play, he e o e, co-occu a his si e simul aneously, i.e., in he se ice o opp es-
sion and as a po en ial o ce o change.
6 F om he documen o he mo emen ’s ounde s. Fo u he in o ma ion (in Heb ew),
see h ps:// a bu mo emen .o g/.
52
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
Bibliog aphy
Ado no, T, and Ho kheime M. (1993). “The Cul u e Indus y: Enligh enmen as
Mass Decep ion,” in:
Selec ions om he F ank u School
. Tel A i :
Si ia Poalim (Heb.).
Anonymous (1999). “Gi e Up Ac i ism.”
Do o Die
, issue 9, 160-166.
Bi d E, Fox-Skelly J, Jenne N, e al. (2020) o he EPRS | Eu opean
Pa liamen a y Resea ch Se ice , (2020), The e hics o a i icial
in elligence: Issues and ini ia i es,
STUDY Panel o he Fu u e o
Science and Technology,
B ussels, Eu opean Union.
Bishop, C. (2012).
A i icial Hells: Pa icipa o y A and he Poli ics o
Spec a o ship
. London: Ve so Books.
B ude man, E. e al. (2020). “Twen y-Fi s Cen u y Museums as Imme si e
Ac i i y Cen e s—A o Escape in he Is ael Museum, Je usalem: A Case
S udy,”
MW20: MW.
Ca lyle, T. (2005). “Symbols,” in:
A in Theo y 1815-1900.
Edi ed by Ha ison,
Wood, and Gaige . Ox o d: Blackwell Publishing.
Cas ee, N. (2003). “A Pos -En i onmen al E hics?”
E hics, Place and
En i onmen
(6) 3-12.
53
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
Cha e on, P. (2006). “‘Gi e Up Ac i ism’ and Change he Wo ld in Unknown
Ways. O Lea ning o Walk Wi h O he s on Uncommon G ound.”
An ipode
(38) 259-82.
Cha e on, P, and Picke ill J. (2010). “E e yday Ac i ism and T ansi ions owa d
Pos -Capi alis Wo lds.”
T ansac ions o he Ins i u e o B i ish
Geog aphe s
, New Se ies, Vol. 35, No. 4 (Oc obe 2010), p. 480.
Cli o d, J. (1988).
The P edicamen o Cul u e: Twen ie h-Cen u y
E hnog aphy, Li e a u e, and A
. Camb idge, MA: Ha a d Uni e si y
P ess.
C a y, J. (1999).
Suspension o Pe cep ion: A en ion, Spec acle and Mode n
Cul u e
. The MIT P ess.
Debo d, G. (2001).
The Socie y as a Spec acle
. Tel A i : Babel Books (Heb.).
Deleuze, G, and Gua a i F. (1987).
A Thousand Pla eaus
. Minneapolis:
Uni e si y o Minneso a P ess, pp. 7-15.
Dewey, J. (1980).
A as Expe ience
. New Yo k: Pe igee Books.
Dickie, G. (1974).
A and he Aes he ic.
I haca and London: Co nell Uni e si y
P ess.
Gibson-G aham, J. K. (2006).
A Pos -Capi alis Poli ics
. Minneapolis MN:
Uni e si y o Minneso a P ess.
54
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
G osz, E. (1999).
Becomings: Explo a ions in Time, Memo y and Fu u es.
I haca,
NY: Co nell Uni e si y P ess.
G oys, B. (2008).
A Powe .
Camb idge, MA: MIT P ess.
Gu -Ze’e , I. (1997).
The F ank u School and he His o y o Pessimism.
Je usalem: Magnes P ess (Heb.).
Haug, F. W. (1986).
C i ique o Commodi y Aes he ics.
Camb idge: Poli y P ess.
Hein, H. (1976). “Aes he ic Consciousness: The G ound o Poli ical Expe ience.”
The Jou nal o Aes he ics and A C i icism,
Vol. 35, No. 2. (Win e ,
1976), pp. 143-152.
Helgue a, P. (2011).
Educa ion o Socially Engaged A : A Ma e ials and
Techniques Handbook
. New Yo k: Jo ge Pin o Books.
Houweling, S, and Wol S. (2020). “The In luence o Scien i ic P es ige and Pee
E ec s on he In en ion o C ea e Uni e si y Spin-O s.”
The Jou nal o
Technology T ans e
, olume 45, pp. 1432-1450.
Kan , I. (1969).
C i ique o he Powe o Judgmen
. Je usalem: Bialik Ins i u e
(Heb.).
Lech e, J. (2003).
Fi y Key Con empo a y Thinke s.
Tel A i : Resling P ess
(Heb.).
55
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
Liebes, T. (2004). “Mass Communica ion as Daily Cul u e,” in: Tama Liebes
and Mi i Talmon (eds.)
Communica ions as Cul u e
, Vol. 1. Raanana,
Is ael: Open Uni e si y o Is ael P ess (Heb.).
Ma cuse, H. (1966).
E os and Ci iliza ion
. Bos on: Beacon P ess.
Ma cuse, H. (1970). "The End o U opia," in:
Fi e Lec u es: Psychoanalysis,
Poli ics, and U opia.
T ansla ed by Je emy Shapi o and Shie y Webe ,
Bos on: Beacon P ess, pp. 62-81.
Ma cuse, H. (1970a).
The End o U opia
. Tel A i : Am O ed Publishe s (Heb.).
Ma cuse H. (1971). “Libe a ion om A luen Socie y,” in: Da id Coope (ed.),
The Dialec ics o Libe a ion
: London: Ve so.
Ma a asso, F. (1997).
Use o O namen ? The Social Impac o Pa icipa ion in he
A s.
S oud: Comedia.
McKee, P. L. (1977). “An Explana ion Model o Aes he ic Uni y.”
B i ish Jou nal
o Aes he ics,
Vol. 17, p. 14-21.
Pla o (1975).
The Symposium. Volume II.
Je usalem, Tel A i : Schocken Books
(Heb.).
Pla o (1975).
The Republic (Poli eia), Volume III
. Je usalem, Tel A i : Schocken
Books (Heb.).
56
EJPAE: 01 2025 9
Eli B ude man; A and Play as A enas o Resis ance and Change
Schille , F. (2004).
On he Aes he ic Educa ion o Man.
New Yo k: Do e
Publica ions.
Schuu man, E. (1983).
Re lec ions on he Technological Socie y.
To on o: Wedge
Publishing Founda ion.
Shus e man, R. (2002). “P agma ism: Dewey,” in: Be ys Gau and Dominic
McI e Lopes (eds.),
The Rou ledge Companion o Aes he ics
. London:
Rou ledge.
Sp a , T. [1667] (2002). “His o y o he Royal Socie y,” in: Malcolm Os e (ed.),
Science in Eu ope 1500-1800 A P ima y Sou ces Reade .
London and NY:
Palg a e and The Open Uni e si y.
Wha mo e, S. (1997). “Dissec ing he Au onomous Sel : Hyb id Ca og aphies
o a Rela ional E hics.”
En i onmen and Planning D: Socie y and Space
(15) 37-53.
Zel ne , P. M. (1975).
John Dewey's Aes he ic Philosophy
. Ams e dam: G une .
Zubo , S. (2019),
The Age o Su eillance Capi alism,
London: P o ile Books.
57
