“This recognition of the divine […] is now also the reason, the starting point, the source of all my educational endeavours” (Fröbel, 1846)
– Friedrich Fröbel and Modern Pedagogy? –
Over the last few years, a string of publications seems to suggest a persistent interest in Friedrich Fröbel, who is by most considered to be the inventor of the kindergarten. The Bloomsbury Handbook to Friedrich Froebel (Bruce et al 2020), the Critical Introduction to key Themes and Debates (Bruce 2020) or the new Fröbel biography from 2023 (Wasmuth et al 2023) give the impression that a continued examination of Friedrich Fröbel remains academically justified. There might be different reasons for such ongoing efforts: on one hand, not nearly all works of Fröbel have yet been catalogued or explored; on the other hand, the international exchange remains limited or even problematic, e.g. considering missing modern translations of Fröbel’s texts which in their original form are not an easy read even for those who understand German. In light of those efforts, it has to be asked not only what Fröbel still can offer to those trying to solve modern pedagogical problems, but also how much of what is actually presented theoretically and practically as Fröbel-Pedagogy or Froebelian Pedagogy is indeed based on Fröbel, or how often it just repeats stereotypical assumptions that have been perpetuated over the centuries.
Considering those questions, we wish to offer the opportunity for a discussion and possibly reappraisal of Friedrich Fröbel in a modern pedagogical context. The emphasis here lies on a critical understanding and (re-)interpretation of Fröbel’s theories in their own right, from a systematic-philosophical or historical perspective, or in conjunction with their transposition into a pedagogical practice.