In 1988 UNESCO ranked Anton Semenovich Makarenko (1888 – 1939) as one of four educators who most significantly determined the world's pedagogical thinking in the 20th century. This is not only because his concept of Collective Education was the official educational theory of socialist countries, but also because numerous educators in non-socialist countries were inspired by his ideas. Attitudes towards Makarenko’s works in each context, however, range from a derogatory rejection of his ideas to a glorified appreciation of his pedagogical work. The rise and fall of scientific and pedagogical interest in Makarenko were not only influenced by the ideological battles of the Cold War, but also other pedagogical conflicts such as between theory and practice, traditions and innovations, and romantic idealism and pragmatism.  After the collapse of the U.S.S.R., the number of research papers on Makarenko generally decreased while in many “Western” countries Makarenko's ideas, especially the socialist education methods, seem to have lost their relevance and been relegated to the past. Nonetheless, research on Makarenko continued, albeit with different research focuses.  It was carried on not only by researchers in the post-Soviet states such as Frolov (2006), Dichek (2018), Oksa and Karpenchuk (2008), but also in countries like Germany and Japan (e.g. Mannschatz 2002; Schubert 2019; Dreier-Horning 2022).

While the above-mentioned research mainly focuses on discussions in the former U.S.S.R., our research project highlights the comparative aspects. Although Makarenko's concepts circulated transnationally and were received, (re)interpreted and implemented in different contexts, there are only a few works (e.g. Frolov 2006) that examine the transnational aspect of Makarenko's ideas across the Iron Curtain. 

Thus, in this project, we aim to investiage how Makarenko was remembered (or forgotten) in three countries – namely, in Ukraine, where Makarenko was born and worked; in East Germany (and Germany after the reunification), where Makaranko’s pedagogy was once regarded as the official educational principle; and in Japan, which is one of the capitalist countries strongly influenced by Makarenko's ideas (Fujii 1988). Our research focuses on the time frame from the late 20th Century to the beginning of the 21st Century, especially around 1988 since in this year, shortly before the collapse of the U.S.S.R, the 100^th Anniversary of Makarenko was celebrated internationally. In our comparison and analysis we utilize secondary literature, pedagogical journals, and reports on educational conferences in three countries.

The starting point of this research project is a manuscript of the book, Basics of Modern Makarenko Studies (ОсновиСучасного Макаренкознавства), written by the second author of this proposal and his colleagues. The main audience of the book are Ukrainian students in teacher-training. The manuscript was almost ready for publication; however, due to the Russian invasion, it has not yet been possible to publish the book. Furthermore, in this new age of uncertainty the authors are now forced to rethink the question of whether and how Makarenko's pedagogy, which itself emerged in an age of uncertainty in the middle of post-WW1 Ukraine, should or can be remembered. We also seek to answer the question of whether his pedagogy has any significance for education in the future, not only in Ukraine, but also in other parts of the world.

This research is still in its early stages and we would like to present our first outcome and discuss it with other participants to further develop our research. 

To answer our research question of how and whether Makarenko has been remembered, we analyze secondary literature, pedagogical journals, and reports on educational conferences in three countries published around 1988. We adopt the method of qualitative content analysis (a.o. Mayring 2010) and examine how Makarenko was discussed in the sources. Based on our literature analysis, we developed three analytical categories for this process - namely, A) Representation/Symbol of values; B) Pedagogical technology; and C) Teacher-training. Analysis category A is applied to articles and documents in which Makarenko’s name represents a certain value. Depending on the context, Makarenko's name symbolizes a wide range of values and concepts, such as self-sacrifice, discipline, pedagogical optimism, productive work, rehabilitation of criminal adolescents, Stalinist ideology, authoritarian pedagogy, masculinity, proletariat, etc (Schubert 2012). Category B is applied to articles and documents which attempt to put pedagogical techniques suggested by Makarenko into practice, such as industrial labor and children's self-government. Category C is applied to articles and documents related to teacher-training. Since the early 1980s, a new teacher-training program based on Makarenko’s pedagogy, which focuses on the formation of teachers’ personalities, had been actively implemented in the former U.S.S.R. This program was developed at the Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University and had been used widely both in Ukraine and the USSR (Zyazyun, Kramushchenko, Krivonos, Myroshnyk, Semichenko, & Tarasevych, 2008). Documents from the program will be included this category. The main sources for this research are following pedagogical journals and newspapers, as well as archived documents in the following archives. <> „Die Unterstufe: Zeitschrift für sozialistische Bildung und Erziehung in den ersten vier Schuljahren“ (1954-1991) „Pädagogik. Zeitschrift für Theorie und Praxis der sozialistischen Erziehung“ (1956 - 1990). „Deutsche Lehrerzeitung“ (1954-1990) „Polytechnische Bildung und Erziehung“ (1959 – 1990) „Seikatsushidō (Educational Guidance)“ (1959-) „Gendai Kyōiku Kagaku (Modern Educational Science)“ (1958-2011) <> The Makarenko-Archive / the Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University Research Library for the History of Education in Berlin (BBF) The Library of Japanese Teachers’ Union, Tokyo

Through our comparative analysis we present how Makarenko has been discussed and remembered since the late 20th Century. Even after the collapse of the U.S.S.R., the legacy of Makarenko has been discussed in different contexts. In some cases, Makarenko’s pedagogical ideas and Makarenko as a person were criticized or admired as a symbol of certain values. In other cases, certain aspects of Makarenko’s pedagogy have been reinterpreted and survived the age of uncertainty after the collapse of the U.S.S.R.. We also argue that Makarenko’s pedagogy, which emerged in the age of uncertainty following the First World War and the collapse of the Russian Empire, should be remembered, has relevance in teacher-training, and should be critically discussed in the future, both on the theoretical and practical level. Furthermore, we highlight the possibility and the need for further transnational dialogue and research. On one hand, it enables us gain new insights into the history of Ukrainian education within the European and the global context. On the other hand, a transnational perspective (Roldán Vera & Fuchs, 2019) that considers the plurality of contexts in which Makarenko’s pedagogy was received, (re-)interpreted and applied in practice, can open fresh perspectives both on questions of Makarenko's legacy and on fundamental pedagogical issues.

1.Dreier-Horning, A. (2022). Wie Anton S. Makarenko ein Klassiker der Pädagogik wurde. Zum Stand der Makarenkoforschung in Deutschland. Berliner Wissenschafts-Verlag. 2.Frolov A. (2006), А. С. Макаренко в СССР, России и мире: историография освоения и разработки его наследия. 1939–2005 гг., критический анализ (А. S. Makarenko in the USSR, Russia and the World: Historiography of the Development of his Legacy. 1939-2005, Critical Analysis). Volga-Vyatka Academy Press. 3.Fujii, T. (1988). 「世界のマカレンコ研究の動向とマカレンコ教育学の評価の問題 (The Trend in International Makarenko Research and the Problem of Assessing Makarenko's Pedagogy) 」. In: Makarenko, Anton S., Fujii, T. & Iwasaki, S. (Translation). 『科学的訓育論の基礎 (Basics of Educational Science) 』. Meiji. 4.Hillig, G. (1994) (ed.) Stand und Perspektiven der Makarenko-Forschung. Minerva. 5.Dichek N. (2005). А. Макаренко і світ: аналіз англомовних студій (A. Makarenko and the World: An Analysis of English-Language Studies). Naukoviy svіt. 6.Dichek N. (2018) "Нове-старе в сучасній зарубіжній макаренкіані (New-Old in Modern Foreign Makarenko Studies)." Pedagogical sciences: theory, history, innovative technologies, 2 (76). p. 221-235. 7.Mannschatz, E. (2002). Gemeinsame Aufgabenbewältigung als Medium sozialpädagogischer Tätigkeit. Denkanstöße für die Wiedergewinnung des Pädagogischen aus der Makarenko-Rezeption. Trafo. 8.Mayring, P. (2010). Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse. Grundlagen und Techniken. Beltz Juventa. 9.Oksa M. & Karpenchuk S. (2008), Макаренкознавство в Україні: аспекти історії, теорії, практики (Makarenko studies in Ukraine: aspects of history, theory, practice). RSU. 10.Roldán Vera, E. & Fuchs, E. (2019). “Introduction: The Transnational in the History of Education”. In: Fuchs, E. and Roldán Vera, E. (ed.). The Transnational in the History of Education. Concepts and perspectives. Palgrave. p.1-37. 11.Schubert, V. (2012). Männliche Erziehung bei Makarenko?. In: Baader, M.S., Bilstein, J., Tholen, T. (ed.) Erziehung, Bildung und Geschlecht. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. 12.Schubert, V. (2019). Der Pädagoge als Ingenieur. Erziehungswissenschaft bei Bernfeld, Makarenko und Dewey, Beltz Juventa. 13.Zyazyun I.A., Kramushchenko L.B., Krivonos I. F., Myroshnyk O.H., Semichenko В. А., & Tarasevych Н. М. (2008). Pedagogical Skills: A Textbook K ( Педагогічна майстерність: підручник. К. SPD Bogdanova A. M.