Mapping scholarship on Bildung in educational research: A systematic research review 1990–2020

This article stems from a curiosity for a broader, deeper, and more complex understanding of the concept of Bildung. It has two aims: to advance an innovative and complex methodological approach for studying Bildung, and to present empirical results related to bibliometric characteristics of literature on Bildung. The empirical results map the literature on Bildung published in English language during the set timespan of 1990–2020. Concomitantly, the main research question addressed is ‘What are the bibliometric characteristics of scholarship on Bildung in peer-reviewed educational research?’. Based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria and following the PRISMA methodology, 267 texts are included in the final sample, which are then coded following a two-part tailormade Coding Protocol. Results presented in this article show that most publications on Bildung in educational research are spatially bounded in German-speaking and Nordic Europe. Further, one of the findings indicates an increase in publications incorporating Bildung after 2010. It is argued that Bildung offers educative and instructive ways, educationally speaking, for addressing what it means to be human and a member of a larger society. Collective and collaborative contributions through education are needed to address persisting and growing local and global challenges and inequalities.