1: Volume Introduction: The Historical Context of Holistic Education

The holistic education movement emerged in the 1980s and 90s, building on a 200-year history of educational dissent and reflecting a countercultural challenge to the worldview underlying modern industrialized society. This was a time of historical transition; an optimistic era of progress and expansive democracy was coming to a close, and aspects of cultural decline that became evident in the 21st century were beginning to appear on the horizon. Those drawn to holistic education believed that the future was open to diverse possibilities, and promoted a worldview rooted in ecological consciousness, spiritual renewal, alternative economics, participatory democracy and other countercultural initiatives. They sought to guide the culture toward these values through educational transformation. However, the emerging age of hypercapitalism, globalization, populist nationalism, environmental collapse and rising fascism has significantly marginalized the ideas and practices of holistic education. This essay reflects on the goals and hopes that motivated the author and his colleagues in the 1980s, and on how the movement might adapt to the unexpected, drastically different conditions of the present time. The idealism of that first generation, their faith in the “awesome powers” of human potential, has been forced to contend with an era of deepening cultural regression.