Pedagogy in exile. On the (non)discussion of educational thought from exile in Germany after the Second World War

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the marginalised position of pedagogy in exile on the basis of an examination of the state of research and two selected biographies – Minna Specht and Charlotte Heckmann. The paper also aims to point out that public memory is significantly linked to the development of research topics and that this process is the task of the history of education. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses an extensive systematisation of the literature to present the state of the debate on the Pedagogy of Exile. The hermeneutically oriented examination of the biographies is based on the relevant primary sources and source forms that have been given less consideration to date, such as interviews. Findings The paper makes it clear that the Pedagogy of Exile is a subject that has received little attention from researchers, but that it has nevertheless had an impact on public memory. In addition, the paper shows how fruitful an in-depth study of the Pedagogy of Exile can be for understanding the relevance of the history of education to society. Research limitations/implications The results are only obtained on the basis of an examination of two exemplary pedagogues. Further work must more thoroughly investigate the context of the Pedagogy of Exile. Practical implications The paper provides insights into which previously neglected traditions of thought can be used to commemorate resistant educators and thus positively shape public memory. Originality/value This paper presents the state of research in the context of the discussion in German-speaking countries on this topic for the first time in English. In addition, it introduces two female educators who are an essential part of the history of the Pedagogy of Exile but who have not yet received more detailed attention due to a lack of translations. In this way, the paper also contributes to overcoming language barriers.