Janusz Korczak: Educating for Justice

Joop W. A. Berding (*The Hague, the Netherlands, 1954) started his career as a teacher in primary schools. Meanwhile, he trained as an advanced educationalist and philosopher of education (B.A., M.A., Ph.D.). During the second part of his career, he worked as a civil servant for youth policy and welfare on both the municipal and state level, as an educational councillor, and, before retiring, eleven years as an assistant professor, manager and researcher on education and youth at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (teacher training and social studies).

From appr. 1990 onwards, Berding has published extensively, mostly in Dutch but also in other languages (English, German) on education and qualitative research methodology. In his writings, he seeks to link insights from education, philosophy and ethics with everyday practice in families, schools, day care and youth work. Three major sources of inspiration are the work of Janusz Korczak, John Dewey and Hannah Arendt, on whom he has published a number of books and many (reviewed) articles and book chapters. His latest book (November 2019, in Dutch) is on patience and impatience in upbringing and education.