Na presente dissertação, efetuamos um estudo de cunho teórico metodológico sobre parte da trajetória do pensamento de Michel Foucault. O objetivo do trabalho é dar a ver de que formas o filósofo francês aborda o problema da ética, entendida não como fundamento universalmente válido e legítimo para a ação moral, mas como processos históricos de modificação do éthos do sujeito em relação à verdade. Foucault trata diretamente da ética na Antiguidade greco-romana em seus últimos trabalhos na década de 1980. Contudo, acreditamos que a ética não se limita a uma tematização imediatamente localizável em sua obra, mas envolve também os próprios procedimentos metodológicos empregados pelo pensador ao longo de suas investigações. Selecionamos como corpus documental seus treze cursos ministrados no Collège de France, entre os anos de 1970 e 1984, por se tratarem de ocasiões privilegiadas que nos permitem visualizar os deslocamentos que caracterizam seus questionamentos filosóficos. Para adentrar domínios tão amplos, elegemos o curso Subjetividade e verdade, de 1981, como um núcleo irradiador de problematização na leitura de tal material. No intuito de compor a ambiência desses estudos, acionamos ainda as entrevistas compiladas nos Dits et écrits. A noção de vida também nos vale como um campo de atravessamento dos cursos do pensador. Assim, ao percorrermos eixos centrais de problematização, tais como as tecnologias de subjetivação, as artes de existência, a espiritualidade, a parresía e a vida filosófica, é possível evidenciar um modo de fazer filosófico, um gesto de pensamento, que prescinde de toda autoria e de toda marcação identitária, esforçando-se constantemente em ultrapassar-se a si mesmo. Acreditamos ser essa a força ética que marca o pensamento de Michel Foucault, capaz de impactar estudos tanto no campo educacional quanto em outros campos do conhecimento. / In this dissertation, a theoretical and methodological study is executed over part of the trajectory of Michel Foucaults thought. The objective of this work is to show in which ways the French philosopher approaches the problem of ethics, understood not as universally valid and legitimate foundation to moral action, but as historical processes of change in the subjects ethos in relation to the truth. Foucault deals directly with the ethics of Greco-roman antiquity in his late works in the 1980s. However, we believe that the ethics is not limited to an easily pinpointed thematic in his works, but that it does involve the methodological procedures themselves employed by the philosopher throughout his investigations. We selected as documental body his thirteen courses taught in the Collège de France, between the years of 1970 and 1984, as they are privileged moments that allow us to view the dislodgements that are characteristic of his philosophical thoughts. To get inside such vast domain, the course Subjectivity and truth, of 1981, was appointed as a problematization radiating nucleus to read such material. In order to create an environment for such studies, we access the interviews collected in Dits et écrits. The concept of life is also valid to us as crossing field through the philosophers courses. Therefore, as we go through the main problematization axis, such as technologies of the self, arts of existence, spirituality, parrhesia and philosophical life, it can be made evident a whole philosophical make, a gesture of thought that develops regardless of any authorship or identity markings, constantly attempting to stretch beyond itself. We believe that this is the ethical strength that characterizes Michel Foucaults thought, able of impact studies in the educational field as well in other knowledge areas.

Submitted by Rosivalda Pereira (mrs.pereira@ufma.br) on 2017-05-22T19:15:23Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ValeriaChristineMatos.pdf: 598204 bytes, checksum: b7111db623c0fe704380805332854a68 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-22T19:15:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ValeriaChristineMatos.pdf: 598204 bytes, checksum: b7111db623c0fe704380805332854a68 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-04-08 / This research proposes to investigate the philosophical hermeneutic understanding of health and disease phenomena as opposed to biological medical perspective; thereby identifying contributions of philosophical hermeneutic perspective to the practice of health psychologist. Psychological operations in hospital, today, has required an understanding of healthcare phenomena beyond the physical, biological aspects of the human being as focused on a guided activity in biological medical parameters, covering issues related to existential subjects from a perspective that points for the totality of being. In this sense, philosophical hermeneutics proposed by Hans-Georg Gadamer develops a criticism of the notion of modern scientific knowledge in its methodological primacy of reaching experiences of truths, and in opposition articulates a new paradigm for understanding human phenomena, namely the ontological-hermeneutic. Besides Truth and Method, the research takes as hermeneutic foundation of reference collection of texts entitled The hidden nature of health, in which Gadamer discusses the phenomena of health and disease in a hermeneutic-existential and historical perspective, confronting so to set up from the medical-biological model in a reductionist perspective. To achieve the stated objectives, is taken as a starting point the psychological know-how in hospital context. Subsequently, it presents a characterization and criticism of the biological medical model, highlighting the scientific rationality while support this paradigm. It emphasizes the contributions of gadameriano thought for the health field, trying to think these thoughts in proximity to the practice of health psychologist. It is understood that is between paradoxes and challenges for a doing that can accommodate the human subjectivity is that the psychologist must understand health phenomena and illness in a different perspective, extending the look and discussion on this topic by checking with its practice a place specific, peculiar because of their training focusing on the human phenomenon, considering the existential of subject’s ill. / A presente pesquisa propõe-se a investigar a compreensão hermenêutico-filosófica dos fenômenos da saúde e doença como contraponto à perspectiva médico-biológica, bem como identificar contribuições na perspectiva hermenêutico-filosófica para a prática do psicólogo hospitalar. A atuação psicológica em ambiente hospitalar, na atualidade, tem requerido uma compreensão dos fenômenos do campo da saúde para além dos aspectos físicos, biológicos do ser humano, tão enfocados numa atuação pautada nos parâmetros biomédicos, abarcando questões relativas à existencialidade dos sujeitos numa perspectiva que aponte para a totalidade do ser. Nesse sentido, a hermenêutica filosófica fundada pelo filósofo Hans-Georg Gadamer estabelece uma compreensão dos fenômenos humanos num contraponto ao cientificismo. Em Verdade e método, Gadamer repensa o problema da compreensão e dirige uma crítica à racionalidade científica moderna. Em sua coletânea de textos intitulada O caráter oculto da saúde, Gadamer faz uma reflexão sobre os fenômenos da saúde e doença numa perspectiva humana, histórica, em contraponto a concepção médico-biológico com enfoque na perspectiva biológica, e desta forma, reducionista. Para o alcance dos objetivos estabelecidos, pretende-se estabelecer uma caracterização e crítica ao modelo médico-biológico, numa análise hermenêutico-comparativa do conceito de saúde-doença, buscando uma melhor compreensão destes fenômenos para uma orientação das ações do psicólogo hospitalar em sua prática profissional. Entende-se que é nesse espaço de enorme complexidade, entre paradoxos e desafios para um fazer que possa acolher a subjetividade humana, que o psicólogo precisa compreender os fenômenos de saúde e doença numa perspectiva diferenciada, ampliando o olhar e a discussão sobre esse tema, marcando com sua prática um lugar específico, peculiar, em decorrência de sua formação com enfoque sobre o fenômeno humano, considerando a existencialidade do sujeito adoecido.

La réflexion des épistémologues français, dans les années 1890-1910, auplus près des transformations que connaissent alors les mathématiques et laphysique, prend la forme de la réhabilitation d’un lien naturel entre les sciences et laphilosophie, et aboutit à l’institutionnalisation de ce lien. Les débats qui opposentl’intellectualisme à l’anti-intellectualisme révèlent un continuisme historiqueparadoxal. La conscience épistémologique se présente comme le reflet dumouvement qu’elle imprime à la base de toute théorie. L’union duconventionnalisme et du bergsonisme dans un nouveau positivisme, celui de« l’esprit », tend à faire de la thèse de la liberté une « doctrine ». Les résistancesmétaphysiques qui s’expriment face à la dogmatisation de la conscienceépistémologique, au lieu d’affaiblir la tendance à l’inachèvement d’un état critiqueessentiellement compréhensif et durable, nourrissent l’imperfection de la synthèsenaissante. L’intellectualisme et l’anti-intellectualisme se rejoignent dans unrenoncement définitif à l’hypothèse de la chose en soi. L’ambition conventionnalistede concilier création et accord éloigne le courant épistémologique « nouveau » deses sources poincaréenne et bergsonienne, qui permettent de mesurer la portéeontologique de la relativité scientifique. / Between 1890 and 1910, the reflection of French epistemologists – inspiredby the transformations in physics and mathematics – take the form of therehabilitation of a natural link between science and philosophy, which ends in aninstitutionalisation of that link. The debates that pit intellectualism against antiintellectualismreveal a paradoxical historical continuism. Epistemologicalconscience presents itself as a reflection of the movement which is imparted to thebasis of every theory. The union between conventionalism and Bergsonism in a newpositivism, the one of “spirit”, tends to turn the thesis of liberty into a “doctrine”.The metaphysical resistances which oppose dogmatisation of epistemologicalconscience, instead of weakening the tendency towards incompletion of anessentially comprehensive and enduring critical condition, nourish the imperfectionof the incipient synthesis. Intellectualism and anti-intellectualism concur in adefinitive renunciation of the thing-in-itself. The conventionalist ambition toreconcile creation and agreement estranges the “new” epistemological current fromits Poincarian and Bergsonian sources which make it possible to measure theontological range of scientific relativity.

植永強. / "2010年9月". / "2010 nian 9 yue". / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 147-152) / Abstract in Chinese and English. / Zhi Yongqiang. / 導論 --- p.13 / Chapter 第一章: --- 回顧與評論 / Chapter 一） --- 海德格哲學並不關連作為德意志種族主義的國家社會主義:朱利安̐£揚(Julian Young) --- p.21 / Chapter 二） --- 海德格哲學和國家社會主義之間有聯繫: / Chapter 甲、） --- 政治事件(支持國家社會主義)作為失誤:鄂蘭(Arendt)與高達美(Gadamar) --- p.25 / Chapter 乙、） --- 從哲學性質上看海德格政治事件: / Chapter 1) --- 《存在與時間》概念的政治性分析:洛維特(Loewith) --- p.30 / Chapter 2) --- 政治事件與海德格哲學關懷:哈貝馬斯(Habermas)與德希達(Derrida) / Chapter i) --- 哈貝馬斯(Habermas) --- p.37 / Chapter ii) --- 德希達(Derrida) --- p.42 / Chapter 第二章: --- 費希特、海德格與形而上學 / Chapter 一、） --- 費希特《告德意志國民書》 / Chapter 1) --- 危機 --- p.49 / Chapter 2) --- 德國民族的理解: / Chapter A) --- 恆常語言、德國民族與精神世界 --- p.49 / Chapter B) --- 費希特與知識學 --- p.52 / Chapter C) --- 學問與德國民族 --- p.56 / Chapter 3) --- 領導方向:國家作為精神世界的維護 --- p.57 / Chapter 4) --- 政策方向:教育 --- p.59 / Chapter 二、） --- 海德格、<德國大學的自身持守>與形而上民族 / Chapter 1) --- 危機:形而上的威脅 --- p.61 / Chapter 2) --- 民族:德國民族作為發生形而上學的民族 / Chapter A、） --- 發問作為最高形式的學問 --- p.67 / Chapter B、） --- <形而上學是什麼>與作為學問激情的「此在」 --- p.69 / Chapter C、） --- 《形而上學導論》與作為形而上學根源的此在 --- p.72 / Chapter 3) --- 領導:國家社會主義作為希望 --- p.79 / Chapter A) --- 亞道夫̐£希特勒(Adolf Hitler)與國家社會主義 --- p.81 / Chapter 4) --- 政策方向:勞動與學問 --- p.87 / Chapter 第三章: --- 《存在與時間》、形而上學與國家社會主義 / Chapter I、） --- 本己性與國家社會主義 / Chapter 1) --- 《存在與時間》工作和此在分析 --- p.92 / Chapter 2) --- 日常性(everydayness) --- p.97 / Chapter 3) --- 本己性和《存在與時間》 / Chapter 甲、） --- 本己性與可能存在 --- p.100 / Chapter 乙、） --- 死亡與本己性 --- p.105 / Chapter 丙、） --- 本己性與存在論基礎 --- p.107 / Chapter 4) --- 本己性、形而上學根源與國家社會主義 --- p.109 / Chapter II、） --- 歷史性與國家社會主義 / Chapter 1) --- 歷史性和《存在與時間》 : / Chapter 甲、） --- 本己的時間性意義 --- p.111 / Chapter 乙、） --- 歷史性和《存在與時間》 --- p.113 / Chapter 2) --- 歷史性、作為形而上學根源與國家社會主義 --- p.115 / Chapter III、） --- 《存在與時間》和作為政治權力主張的國家社會主義 / Chapter 1) --- 本己性、歷史性與作為極權主義的國家社會主義 --- p.118 / Chapter 2) --- 〈存在與時間〉、民族與文化 --- p.118 / Chapter 3) --- 〈存在與時間〉與「英雄」 --- p.121 / Chapter 第四章: --- 鄂蘭、海德格與批判國家社會主義 / Chapter 一、） --- 國家社會主義的科學性意識形態:漢娜̐£鄂蘭(Hannah Arendt) --- p.122 / Chapter 三、） --- 海德格對現代性特徵－－－－科學技術主義的批判 / Chapter 1) --- 國家社會主義與科學技術主義 --- p.128 / Chapter 2) --- 科學技術主義的形而上學基礎 --- p.129 / Chapter 3) --- 費希特、歐洲與科學技術主義 --- p.136 / Chapter 4) --- 技術、戰爭及種族主義 --- p.137 / 結論 --- p.144 / 參考文獻 --- p.147

Chan, Chiu Fung Maria Goretti. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-95). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Abstract --- p.i / 摘要 --- p.iii / Acknowledgements --- p.v / Contents --- p.vi / Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Anna´ةs Voyage in a New World --- p.15 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Trapped in a Power Struggle --- p.39 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Reacting against Predestined Roles --- p.64 / Conclusion --- p.88 / Bibliography --- p.92

O propósito deste trabalho é examinar a recolocação e a transformação da questão da harmonia entre linguagem, pensamento e realidade na segunda fase da produção filosófica de Wittgenstein. A fim de cumprir esse propósito, discutem-se, no primeiro capítulo, a formulação dessa questão na fase inicial de sua reflexão, que culmina no Tractatus logico-philosophicus, e sua vinculação com as concepções de filosofia e método apresentadas nesse livro. Em seguida, discutem-se as modificações de tais concepções a partir do início da década de 1930 e a necessidade de reformulação da questão examinada. No segundo e terceiro capítulos, comentam-se as duas principais facetas que ela assume na segunda fase da produção de Wittgenstein: 1. o exame de alguns trechos dos manuscritos do chamado período intermediário e das seções 428-465 das Investigações filosóficas revelam sua vinculação com a noção de intencionalidade e noções correlatas; 2. o exame dos textos dedicados à noção de seguir regras, sobretudo as seções 185-242 das Investigações, permite reconsiderar as relações entre as regras e a prática de sua aplicação. Esse percurso visa mostrar, por um lado, que, mesmo depois do abandono do projeto do Tractatus, Wittgenstein ainda considera filosoficamente legítima a questão da harmonia entre linguagem, pensamento e realidade, desde que posta em outros termos; e, por outro lado, que as relações entre nossas formas de representação e a realidade são mais complexas do que pensara. / The aim of this work is to examine the replacement and transformation of the question of the harmony between language, thought and reality in the second phase of Wittgensteins philosophical production. In order to fulfill this aim we discuss in the first chapter the formulation of the question in the initial phase of his reflections, which culminates in the Tractatus logico-philosophicus, and its connection with the conceptions of philosophy and method presented in the book. Then, we discuss the modifications in these conceptions since the beginning of the 1930s and the necessity of reformulating the question we approach. In the second and third chapters we comment on the two main sides of the question in the second phase of Wittgensteins production: 1. the examination of some passages of the manuscripts of the so-called middle period and of the §§428-465 of the Philosophical Investigations reveal its connection with the notion of intentionality and correlated notions; 2. the examination of the texts dedicated to the notion of following a rule, mainly the §§185-242 of the Philosophical Investigations, allows to reconsider the relations between the rules and the application practices. This path is intended to show, on the one hand, that even after the abandonment of the Tractarian project, Wittgenstein still considers the question of the harmony between language, thought and reality as a legitimate philosophical question, provided that it is put in other terms; and, on the other hand, that the relations between our forms of representation and reality are more complex than he once thought.

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2016-06-14T12:37:56Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Letícia Mousquer Ritter_.pdf: 1992270 bytes, checksum: ce67306b6df31ca899d2c4d0cc46907c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-14T12:37:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Letícia Mousquer Ritter_.pdf: 1992270 bytes, checksum: ce67306b6df31ca899d2c4d0cc46907c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-04-06 / Nenhuma / As contínuas transformações da sociedade, em especial com o advento do Estado Democrático de Direito, proporcionaram uma profunda alteração na atuação dos juízes e tribunais. O novo paradigma constitucional deslocou o polo de tensão dos Poderes Executivo e Legislativo para o Poder Judiciário, fazendo com que os juízes, passem a ter a responsabilidade de fazer cumprir materialmente o pacto constitucional. Dentro desta perspectiva surge o juiz como ator determinante na efetiva criação do direito e na solução das legítimas pretensões sociais, realizando a democracia quando resolvido o caso apresentado ao Poder Judiciário. Entretanto, tal aumento da atuação do Poder Judiciário foi recepcionado na cultura brasileira como a afirmação de um necessário protagonismo judicial. A politização da justiça decorrente da expansão da jurisdição constitucional, acabou por conduzir os juízes a deixar de realizar julgamentos jurídicos, necessariamente calcados em argumentos e parâmetros de validade de natureza jurídico-constitucional, os levando a decidir com base em critérios pessoais. A sociedade passou, então, a defrontar-se não mais com a judicialização das relações sociais, mas com fenômeno distinto denominado como ativismo judicial. A questão central que se apresenta, então, é de saber quais as bases que legitimam democraticamente o Judiciário, na medida em que este Poder não advém do sufrágio universal como nas outras esferas de poder. Ou seja, trata-se de perquirir a acerca do papel funcional do Poder Judiciário, centrado na figura do juiz, justamente por este ser um órgão desprovido de controle político, sequer daqueles de natureza institucional, e que precisa colidir aos interesses da soberania. O estudo desenvolve-se como forma de propiciar uma análise acerca do processo de interpretação da norma, na medida em que a tomada da decisão judicial necessariamente passa por este processo. Diante disso aponta para a superação da crise interpretativa através da hermenêutica filosófica e, também aufere qual o papel dos princípios para resguardar a autonomia do direito. Buscando contextualizar um debate contemporâneo sobre o problema do ativismo judicial brasileiro, na tentativa de empreender um estudo que possibilite a análise de prováveis respostas ao problema do protagonismo judicial e da urgência de uma teoria judicial que esteja adequada a fornecer respostas corretas no vigente Estado Democrático de Direito, como forma de recorte do tema, serão abordados os elementos que propulsionam o ativismo judicial arbitrário: a indefinição do conceito de princípio, a problemática da distinção estrutural entre regra e princípio e a consequente profusão de princípios. Esses elementos, além de proporcionarem uma atuação ativista do magistrado, servem como pano de fundo para a análise do problema proposto a estudo na presente tese: qual o papel do juiz no Estado Democrático de Direito, pode o magistrado ter uma postura mais ativista sem que ponha em risco o Estado Democrático de Direito? Ou seja, a pesquisa visa a abordar as perspectivas sobre a função jurisdicional da magistratura no século XXI. / The continuous changes in society, especially with the advent of democratic rule of law, provided a profound change in the role of judges and courts. The new constitutional paradigm shifted voltage pole of the executive and legislative powers to the judiciary, making the judges start to have a responsibility to materially comply with the constitutional pact. From this perspective comes the judge as an actor determining the effective creation of the right solution and the legitimate social claims, conducting democracy when solved the case presented to the courts. However, such an increase in the judiciary action was approved in Brazilian culture as the affirmation of a necessary judicial role. The politicization of justice due to the expansion of constitutional jurisdiction, eventually led the judges to stop performing legal judgments necessarily grounded on arguments and parameters of validity of legal and constitutional nature, leading to decide based on personal criteria. The company then began to face is no longer with the judicialization of social relations, but with distinct phenomenon termed as judicial activism. The central question that arises, then, is to know what the basis that democratically legitimated the judiciary, to the extent that this power does not come from the universal suffrage as in other spheres of power. That is, it is to assert the about the functional role of the judiciary, centered on the judge's figure, precisely because it is a body devoid of political control, even those of an institutional nature, and that needs to collide with the interests of sovereignty. The study is developed as a way to provide an analysis of the interpretation of the standard process in that the decision of the court decision necessarily goes through this process. Therefore points to overcome interpretative crisis by philosophical hermeneutics and also receives the role of the principles for protecting the autonomy of law. Seeking contextualize contemporary debate about the problem of the Brazilian judicial activism in an attempt to undertake a study to enable analysis of likely responses to the problem of judicial prominence and urgency of a legal theory that is adequate to provide correct answers in the current democratic state Law as a way to cut theme, will address the elements that propel the arbitrary judicial activism: the vagueness of the concept of principle, the problem of structural distinction between rule and principle and the consequent profusion of principles. These elements, in addition to providing an activist role of the magistrate, serve as a backdrop for the analysis of the problem proposed the study in this thesis: the role of the judge in a democratic state, can the judge take a more activist stance without endangers the democratic rule of law? That is, the research aims to address the prospects of the judiciary of the judicial function in the twenty-first century.

Pressuposto que a justiça é o problema maior da filosofia do direito trata o presente de investigar até que ponto o pensamento do filósofo alemão Hans-Georg Gadamer pode contribuir nesse sentido, considerando-se especialmente o momento da interpretação e aplicação da lei. Ao nosso ver, as ideias de O Grande Velho Homem da Filosofia, levam-nos, primeiramente, à inarredável conclusão de que não existe a possibilidade de uma única interpretação objetivamente sustentável, na medida em que o fenômeno jurídico não consegue ser abarcado pela lei. Mas isso Kelsen há muito havia mostrado-nos. Pretende-se por às claras, ainda, que, quem venha a se ocupar com a filosofia do direito, mais especificamente com interpretação e aplicação do direito, não pode ignorar temas como linguagem, pré-compreensão e tradição. Mais que isso: para nós, Gadamer, especialmente por intermédio da análise da phronesis aristotélica, descortina-nos a ideia de que legislar, agir e aplicar a norma ao caso concreto, de acordo com a funções política, ética e de interpretação e aplicação do direito, passam necessariamente pela noção de bem decidir, sendo coisas indissociáveis e oriundas do mesmo ethos e que ao invés de contentar-nos com soluções epistemológicas, deveríamos tentar desenvolver uma solução de cunho ontológico, como forma de possibilitar um maior controle da justiça no caso concreto, para nós revelada pela aproximação de \"ser\" e \"dever ser\". / Assuming that Justice is the most important problem of laws philosophy, this study comes to investigate whither Hans-Georg Gadamer tought, a german philosopher, can contribute in this regard, especially considering the moment of Laws interpretation and application. To Our view, the ideas of \"The Grand Old Man of Philosophy\", lead us, first, to the unwavering conclusion that there is no possibility of a single interpretation objectively tenable, on the grounds that legal phenomenon cannot be encompassed by law. However, Kelsen had already shown us that a long time ago. Furthermore, it is intended to bring to light, that, who comes to mind with laws philosophy, more specifically with interpretation and law application, cannot ignore some topics as language, pre-understanding and tradition. More than that: for us, Gadamer, especially through the analysis of Aristotelian phronesis, reveal us the idea that legislate, act and apply the standard to an individual case, according to politics, ethics and laws interpretation and application function, pass necessarily through the notion of \"good decision\" being inseparable things and from the same ethos and, rather than being satisfied with epistemological solutions, we should try to establish an ontological solution, in order to enable a higher control of justice failure in concrete cases, revealed for us by the approach of \"is and ought.

The history of public education in the United States is replete with attempts to define the purpose, aims, or mission of K-12 public education at the local, state, and national levels. However, given the historical precedent of the local control of schools and the legal precedent of state-level governance of public education, this study sought to address the more limited question of the purpose of K-12 public education in the state of Virginia. Specifically, within the context of the contemporary educational planning theory of strategic planning, this study sought to determine what content characteristics concerning the mission of public education were shared among the school divisions in the state of Virginia. Through content analysis of division-level mission statements, the study identified not only the content but also the degrees at which such content was shared among division-level mission statements. The study further addressed the similarities and differences between the mission statements of school divisions and that of the state itself, a statement written by Thomas Jefferson some two hundred years ago. The findings illuminate the relative presence and absence of de facto consensus concerning the mission of K-12 public education in Virginia.

Despite long-standing debates about the nature of professions and professionalism related to teaching, little consensus has been reached due in large part to an ever-changing political climate and a number of competing ideologies and interests (Bair, 2014; Hargreaves & Goodson, 1996). This lack of consensus fosters variable expectations of teachers, creating opportunities for the generation and implementation of initiatives that ultimately control and undermine teachers’ work (Ingersoll, 2003). While the quality of our nation’s education system depends on teachers' capacity to have professional input regarding their work, concepts of teacher agency and professionalism remain ill-defined, and few studies explore teachers’ experiences in spaces where they are asked for such input. This constructivist study examined teacher agency and professionalism, given the ideal of democracy and the reality of neoliberalism. Utilizing agency theory and participatory democratic theory, this study sought to explore teachers’ perceptions of their professionalism and agency by co-constructing knowledge with 18 members of the Richmond Mayoral Teacher Advisory Council (MTAC). This study took place over seven months and included seven focus group interview sessions, two MTAC meeting debrief sessions, and multiple writing prompts focused on teachers’ narratives of their professional experiences. The study revealed several themes related to teachers’ professionalism, particularly teachers’ focus on student-centered, morally-grounded views of their work. This study’s iterative inquiry process culminated in the development of a Moral Professional Agency framework that may serve useful in future constructivist work with teachers regarding their professional work.