Chantal Crozet

Centrality of text, and discourse strategies in french political songs

This paper starts by establishing briefly the centrality of text and of socio-political discourse in French songs from a historical perspective. It then discusses the usefulness of the concept of ‘dialogism’, ‘voice’ and ‘intertextuality’ in political song analysis drawing from Bakhtins and Kristevas theories of discourse. It shows in particular how the song-writers and interpreters of La Marseillaise (three different versions 1792, 1848, 1979) use voice strategies such as parody, appropriation, and adaptation to engage in the political and socio-cultural discourse of their times.

The core tenets of education in ancient India, inspirations for modern times

Abstract Education in ancient India can be a source of inspiration for education in modern times. It was based on a sophisticated theory of knowledge derived from Indian philosophy and unique in that it included an understanding of the subject (the knower) in relation to the object (the known) and the process of knowing. It gave great emphasis on understanding the inner map of the subject/the person (the vehicle for learning), including the mechanics of thinking, the different layers of the mind and of a state beyond the mind, without denigrating the acquisition of objective or worldly/outer knowledge. By contrast, modern education, at least in the West, has tended to focus on outer knowledge only, neglecting in the process the importance of understanding the inner dimension. This paper offers a point of comparison to reflect on educational principles for other papers in this volume dealing with Islamic education in different countries.