Book Description

In his interdisciplinary memoir, Gerald Gutek applies history and philosophy of education to educational biography. The author was guided by his focusing goals of exploring his path to becoming an educational biographer and working generalizations with his colleagues in the field. Gutek’s narrative begins with the author’s childhood experiences that inclined him to a career in education, followed by chapters on his doctoral program in the College of Education at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana; his teaching of history and philosophy and education in the School of Education at Loyola University Chicago; his research and writing of biographies of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and Joseph Neef and his textbook, Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Education: a Biographical Introduction; and issues and strategies in writing about Maria Montessori. Throughout the book, Gutek analyzes concepts and applications he developed as an educational biographer such as parallel biographies, slice of life writing, reconsidering overlooked and understudied educators, and the role of place and space in telling life stories. ENDORSEMENTS: "Readers both new to educational biography or familiar with the discipline will find a valuable account of the author’s long and varied career as a biographer. From his childhood memory of listening to neighbors’ stories in his grandfather’s grocery store, to encounters with the important teachers in his life, Gutek brings his own story to life. As he recounts the influences on his personal intellectual history and the processes of his research and writing, readers gain valuable insights into the methods of an experienced educational biographer." — Larry Prochner, University of Alberta "For fifty years Gerald Gutek has been and remains one of the seminal and leading voices in the field of educational biography; thus it only makes sense for him to create something new: an intellectual memoir. From his work on Counts in 1970 to his work on Montessori (2016) and her acolytes in the US (2020)--Gutek has reliably bridged the worlds of educational history, educational biography, and philosophical foundations of education; this work cements his legacy. Gutek skillfully interweaves personal and family history with movements in educational history both formal and informal, then explains how these impacted his thinking and writing. Throughout this eminently readable memoir, Gutek also includes political and historical context without engaging in divisiveness. Scholars of life writing should give this a close reading, as Gutek sprinkles nuggets of methodological brilliance throughout the manuscript. Junior scholars would do well to read Gutek’s more substantive sections on the methods used to write each of his books; it is the academic equivalent of Master Class in textual form." — Ed Janak, University of Toledo