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chapter 8
Educational Rivalries
The Transition from a German-German Contest
to an International Competition
Emmanuel Droit and Wilfried Rudloff
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ince the eighteenth century, the concept of Bildung has been con-
sidered an untranslatable term because it describes a very “German
invention and institution.”^1 Generally speaking, Bildung equates to ed-
ucation, but also a kind of intellectual cultivation; it can be seen as a
lifelong process of human development wherein individuals develop their
spiritual and cultural sensibilities to become more free due to a higher
level of self-refl ection. In the age of high modernity and nation-states,
educational institutions were therefore more than just places where
knowledge was acquired. From a systematic perspective, educational
institutions have four key social functions:^2 fi rst, they contribute to the
cultural reproduction of society and the cultural socialization of individ-
uals by transmitting systems of meaning, values, and cultural heritage
throughout society. Second, educational systems equip individuals with
the knowledge and skills that they need in order to take part in work and
economic life, a function that is essential to the successful performance
of economies and administrations. Third, the diff erent degrees that can
be obtained at specifi c steps within the educational system are a major
determinant of social opportunity, infl uencing upward and downward
mobility within society. Educational participation and educational careers
are some of the most important factors that aff ect individual life choices
and social status as well as the reproduction of social structures. Last,
educational systems—in very diff erent ways depending on the political
nature of a given society—foster political integration and the stabiliza-
tion of political order. Indeed, educational systems occupy a very central
