The Dewey-Soka Heritage and the Future of Education

This well-crafted set of studies advances our knowledge of connections between John Dewey’s ever-dynamic philosophy of education and the generative idea of ‘value-creating’ education conceived by Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and refined by his intellectual heirs. It is a valuable contribution to the ongoing contemporary project of linking Eastern and Western lines of educational thought. David T. Hansen Past-President of the John Dewey Society and Weinberg Professor of Philosophy and Education, Teachers College, Columbia University
The Dewey-Soka Heritage and the Future of Education masterfully captures the enduring relevance and importance of the dialectical relationship between educational philosophies of American thinker John Dewey and the Japanese value-creating (sōka) educators Makiguchi Tsunesaburō, Toda Jōsei, and Ikeda Daisaku. This volume highlights the intersection of Eastern and Western ideas related to spirituality, religion, hope, citizenship, democratic life, and curricular inquiry for a new generation of scholars. Whereas much of the contemporary scholarship positions Dewey as having influenced others, this volume redefines the “East-West” relationship as reciprocal, mutual, and essential to the study of cosmopolitanism. In an era of global tensions and the escalation of nationalistic tendencies, this volume underscores the relevance of Deweyan and value-creating approaches in promoting inclusivity to counter societal disharmonies by fostering a creative exchange of ideas for the future of education. Jessica A. Heybach Professor of Educational Leadership, Western Michigan University, and former Editor of Education & Culture, Journal of the John Dewey Society