Ivan Illich: The Social Critic Who Pioneered Technology in Education and Social Change
Ivan Illich: The Social Critic Who Pioneered Technology in Education and Social Change We have come to know him as the man who developed the concept of "deschooling society" in his 1971 book Deschooling Society, but Ivan Illich had a revolutionary impact on the world of technology far beyond this one book. From the 1960s onward, Ivan Illich sought to open up new pathways for technology outside the existing modes of production, control, and industrialization. In this article, we’ll look at Illich’s work and impact when it comes to technology, education, and social change. Who Was Ivan Illich? Ivan Illich (1926-2002) was an Austrian-born social critic, philosopher, and academic. He was born in Vienna and, prior to his death, had written a total of 16 books, of which Deschooling Society is by far his most well-known. Illich's work focused heavily on the idea of "conversion": the transformation of established structures and institutions in order to bring about mea...