An exploration of the teachers’-state relationship as a struggle for recognition: Hegel’s Lordship and Bondage Dialectics

Abstract

ABSTRACT The German philosopher G. W. F. Hegel brought to our attention the inherent ontological desire for others’ recognition. So important is this aspect in our daily lives that its absence or distortion causes psychological deformities that translate into social, political and economic anomalies. In this dissertation, borrowing from Hegel’s metaphysical notion of lordship-bondage dialectic, I argue that teachers and the teaching profession in Uganda suffer from non-recognition, hence trapped in bondage position. This is partially evidenced by the vociferous encounters, with the government as teachers seek improvement in working conditions and remuneration. This affects the quality of formal education against the backdrop of Uganda’s need to grow an educated populace. In this study, basing on primary and secondary sources and critical reflections; following a critical hermeneutic method, I explain in exploratory manner the phenomenon of recognition of teachers. I argue first that, education is important not only because of the value we place on knowledge acquisition, but understanding - grasping the essences that can be transferable to new problems and aid in drawing inferences. If so, teachers are valued due to the role they play in the enterprise. Secondly, the plight of formal education hinges on appropriate recognition of teachers and teaching profession; three, non-recognition results from instrumentalism as the underlying philosophy of education; lastly, government and teachers have ethical obligations to revamp the education system.