Raised to Obey - (Princeton Economic History of the Western World) by Agustina Paglayan

Book Synopsis

How the expansion of primary education in the West emerged not from democratic ideals but from the state's desire to control its citizens

Nearly every country today has universal primary education. But why did governments in the West decide to provide education to all children in the first place? In Raised to Obey, Agustina Paglayan offers an unsettling answer. The introduction of broadly accessible primary education was not mainly a response to industrialization, or fueled by democratic ideals, or even aimed at eradicating illiteracy or improving skills. It was motivated instead by elites' fear of the masses--and the desire to turn the "savage," "unruly," and "morally flawed" children of the lower classes into well-behaved future citizens who would obey the state and its laws.

Drawing on unparalleled evidence from two centuries of education provision in Europe and the Americas, and deploying rich data that capture the expansion of primary education and its characteristics, this sweeping book offers a political history of primary schools that is both broad and deep. Paglayan shows that governments invested in primary schools when internal threats heightened political elites' anxiety around mass violence and the breakdown of social order.

Two hundred years later, the original objective of disciplining children remains at the core of how most public schools around the world operate. The future of education systems--and their ability to reduce poverty and inequality--hinges on our ability to understand and come to terms with this troubling history.

Review Quotes

"Deeply reseached. . . . Raised to Obey is a valuable contribution to the ongoing education policy debate in the United States and beyond. It makes clear that public schooling has, in many cases, not been created primarily to empower students, but for social control. To anyone other than the biggest paternalist, that should be concerning."---Neal McCluskey, Law and Liberty

"Raised to Obey is now the new standard in global educational history."---Thomas Fallace, Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences

"A tour de force. It takes a lot of work--and even more courage--to challenge the dominant theories in your field. . . . That's precisely what Paglayan has done. Analyzing an astonishing array of sources from Europe and the Americas. . . . Paglayan shows that the vast majority of school systems predated democratization and industrialization, and they more commonly flourished to suppress dissent at home than to rally people against a foreign enemy."---Jonathan Zimmerman, Education Next

"Phenomenal."---Alice Evans, Rocking Our Priors

"Raised to Obey encourages readers to rethink conventional explanations about the origins of primary education. The book offers compelling evidence of how primary education has been utilized by the state as a tool of control. While the arguments presented by Paglayan may initially seem unsettling, she provides valuable insights that can guide the creation of more meaningful education policies in the future-- insights that should not be ignored. I highly recommend Raised to Obey to anyone interested in education and state-building - it will most likely change the way you think about both things!"---Xenia Heiberg Heurlin, Weekendavisen

"A fresh perspective. . . . [Raised to Obey] has opened my eyes to how governments shape these systems and reminded me of the importance of staying critical and vigilant about educational policies. . . . While we may not be able to change the system on our own, we can still guide the younger generation around us. By teaching them to think independently and encouraging them to become active and caring members of society, we can help build a future that values growth over control."---Sekar Sedya, Sekar Writes

About the Author

Agustina S. Paglayan is assistant professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego, and nonresident fellow at the Center for Global Development. Her work has been covered by The Economist, the Washington Post, Devex, NPR, and NBC.