Abstract

This papers aims to illustrate how press clippings can be used as data in educational sociology. In the fall of 2007, large numbers of secondary school pupils took to the streets in the Netherlands. The pupils went on strike after the government, following years of tolerance, started to control the law issuing that pupils must receive a minimum number of lessons per year. Demonstrating youngsters capture the news for days. We analyze what appears to be a spontaneous action from the perspective of the drama-democracy (Elchardus, 2002). Our data comprise press clippings and minutes of parliamentary debates. Secondary sources are used to investigate how ‘factual’ developments relate to presentations in the press. What this analysis shows is that what looks like a spontaneous action, is actually an eruption of more fundamental changes in society. What’s more, the whole idea of school autonomy may entail a major irony.

How to Cite:

Waslander, S. & Van der Weide, M., (2010) “Scholierenprotesten en de ironie van de autonome school”, Tijdschrift voor Sociologie 31(3-4), 354–381. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/sociologos.86763