Elegantly written, with the historian’s attention to archival material, this book enables the reader to understand the complex and different social, cultural, religious, and political context factors embedded in the “thought” of schooling and its objects of scrutiny—its notions
of the child and teacher. In this landmark study of the formation of the modern school, Daniel Tröhler argues the value of looking at languages rather than arguments—langues rather than paroles. This method of historical research is used to examine the background of different philosophies, theories, or arguments of education, specifically republicanism and Protestantism.