Abstract:
The text is dealing with the fact that social pedagogy is confronted with a permanently contested position. Even though social pedagogy has been ‘normalized’ in specific areas of practice, it is essentially afflicted with a vague status: Its theoretical references are intricate, and it is engaged in various contexts of practice. Its methods of research and practice are as heterogeneous as its historic traditions. Furthermore, the social problems that social pedagogy is dealing with do not represent a moral consensus but they are highly controversial. The text discusses the resulting vague identity on a disciplinary level: If social pedagogy’s identity is at stake, then it is plausible that it is utilizing particular manners to position itself publicly and politically. This political dimension of social pedagogical theories is associated with ‘Zeitdiagnosen’: Their crucial function is to provide social pedagogy with a specific position in public and political discourse.
Keywords:
Social pedagogy; Social work; Political engagement; Zeitdiagnose; Identity