Abstract

The paper presents the book “Island of Utopia: pedagogical and social engineering of postwar school” (M. Mayofis, P. Safronova, & I. Kukulina (Eds.) (2014) Moscow, Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie) which is currently in press. This collective monograph is the result of a research project relevant School of Humanitarian Studies of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.

The work is devoted to a particular period of history of education (1940s-1980s), but in scope, it inevitably goes beyond the period mentioned, forcing to think about what was happening in the Soviet education before this period after, i.e. in the post-Soviet education.

The author defines the genre of the book mentioned, as non-fiction pedagogy literature. Previously non-fiction pieces had no analogues among the historical and pedagogical works.

On the one hand, the genre of non-fiction involves precision, rejection of many myths rooted in human consciousness. On the other hand, it allows multiple interpretations. Therefore, the author notes that the text of the paper cannot be regarded as a professional review with a brief overview of the diverse collective heads of academic monographs. This is a reflection on the book that offers readers the opportunity to join a meaningful conversation, complete the piece with their own stories that clarify and specify the message of the book, and sometimes even disagree with the authors of the book.

The book is written by serious Russian and foreign authors. It enables a sober assessment of the Russian education system with all its ups and downs. The book convinces the reader that despite education being a sphere of activity is very dependent on the state of politics and ideology, it allows a certain breakthrough which results in emerging relatively autonomous pedagogical utopias.

A great number of pages devoted to the reform of education outside Russia show that the only correct solution accepted by absolutely all the players on the field of education (the state and the teachers, parents and their children) is found nowhere in the world.