Jagdish S. Gundara

Religion, human rights and intercultural education

Religions in the contemporary world are Janus-faced institutions. They have the potential of being positive forces but also the capacity of being negative forces. Educators can use the positive aspects and dimensions of religion to foster interfaith and intercultural understandings. In this respect, educators can use the human rights instruments that most nations have approved to ensure that the legal and secular basis of the state provides safety and security to all faiths. This paper discusses these issues and the role of intercultural education in facilitating interfaith education and understanding.

Some issues for cooperative learning and intercultural education

This article connects the two fields of cooperative learning and intercultural education. We argue that cooperative learning strategies need to be equipped with intercultural understandings. Two key points that are raised here are: (1) that issues of competitiveness amongst learners and students must be dealt with head on rather than treating it from the sidelines or by brushing them aside; and (2) for learning to take place in a truly cooperative manner, there must be an emphasis on an intercultural focus within the curriculum; the content of knowledge within the curriculum needs to be non-centric. This article emphasizes that cooperative learning strategies are effective when the curricular knowledge taught in the school is drawn from all groups (dominant, subordinate or minority groups).

Contesting borders: a challenge to some paradigmatic assumptions of intercultural and comparative education

Both intercultural education and comparative education have conventionally assumed the primacy of territoriality and sovereignty. This paper engages critically with these assumptions and, in turn, highlights the historical fluidity of nation states while seeking to normalise the process of geographical movement of populations. As such, a number of explicit or implicit modalities of collective survival have emerged on the part of many self-defined ethno-national groups reflected in narratives which sustain collective existence but which, over time, may be seen as flexible. These processes are illustrated with contemporary and historical references, demonstrating that such modalities pragmatically take into account the realities of survival and calling into question essentialist notions of ethnicity, cultural integrity and nationhood. It is argued that the provisional aspect of geopolitical boundaries, the mobility of populations and the autonomous existence of a number of communities have not conventionally figured prominently either in comparative education or intercultural education discourse. Accordingly, there is a strong case for moves towards de-territorialised theorisation in both disciplines with an increased emphasis on agency in collective identity formation and away from national and cultural reification.

Civilisational knowledge, interculturalism and citizenship education

The contention of this article is that the biologically derived versions of the nation of ‘blood and soil’ only tell a narrow and singular version of the story of nation states. The substantive historical and contemporary realities necessitate the telling of much broader stories which are inclusive of good citizenship values derived from diverse sources in complex multicultural societies. The article raises issues of active citizens in cohesive democratic contexts where people continue to struggle against hierarchies, inequalities and disenfranchisement. It also raises the issues of divides amongst peoples along gender, faith, social class and racial divides which the dominant groups and political institutions have failed to tackle in practical terms from the local and national to the global levels.

Global and civilisational knowledge: eurocentrism, intercultural education and civic engagements

This article cites the problems of citizenship education in three different countries: Bosnia, England and Japan, partly because of the way in which these nations are defined, as well as the way in which knowledge within the official school curriculum is selectively developed. In most countries, the curriculum is derived from a narrowly based understanding of the nation. The article suggests that during the period of globalisation it might be possible to devise an intercultural understanding of knowledge from across cultures and civilisations to obviate a clash of civilisations. The first universalist phase that the paper considers is from fifth century BC to seventh century AD when the great religions of Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam existed in tributary regions. The second phase in Andalusia in the eleventh century was the interaction between Christian, Jewish and Muslim scholars, which was part of the development of the Renaissance. These developments contributed to scientific and secular knowledge during the Enlightenment and led to the affirmation of the universal. The French and the American revolutions were informed by these ideas. The fourth phase was the development of the ideas of socialism to establish societies based on the basis of equality, but the states which espoused these ideologies failed to deepen ideas of shared values and inclusive citizenship in democratic contexts. The fifth phase of universalist development was the end of the colonial regimes in the middle of the twentieth century. The development of the Non-Aligned Movement following the 1955 Bandung Conference was the highlight of this phase of human development, but like many other phases of human history also failed in many ways.

Ancient Athenian Democratic Knowledge and Citizenship: Connectivity and Intercultural Implications.

This paper explores the implications that ancient Athens had for modern representative democracies and the links that can be made to the philosophical principles that form the essence of intercultural education. Such an exploration shows that modern democratic societies have ignored many key aspects of the important legacy left to us by these early experiments in democracy. It also shows how ancient Greece was a society deeply and profoundly shaped by the multicultural environment in which it existed.

Providing Access to Education: Intercultural and Knowledge Issues in the Curriculum

In terms of access, the most important issue is the provision of basic education to vast numbers of children who do not receive any education. A few years ago, there were around 103 million children who did not attend school (United Nations 2008: 15). Through determined efforts by many agencies at international and national levels this number has now been reduced to 73 million children in 2006 (United Nations 2008: 15). To provide education to these children, at least 18 million teachers need to be educated and trained (United Nations 2008).

Teaching Art History in a Multicultural Society: removing the “cultural prison”

Abstract Traditionally, art history and art teaching in Europe has negated the influence and importance of non‐European art history, and its influence on Western art. In this paper, we explore the causes and consequences of this phenomenon. The paper argues that arts educators need to work towards establishing a more progressive, non‐repressive and non‐manipulative way of interpreting other cultures and other arts.

Socially Diverse Polis: Social and School Exclusion

Abstract This paper addresses the questions of citizenship in socially diverse polities. Such issues are presently not dealt with adequately because social scientists, parliamentarians and policy makers do not have an informed view which is relevant for the governance of stable democratic systems which embody cultural diversities. The role of social policy systems in ensuring equity in the delivery of services is important in ensuring the citizenship rights of all groups in society. At the present time economic policies have created a culture of winners and losers which makes the efforts of schools more difficult. The schools and the educational systems face the challenge of creating a common and shared values orientation on the diversities in the polity. Such communities also present the schools with immense possibilities, if teacher education, school policies and practice, curriculum and classroom organisation can be optimised. Such measures may help obviate the school exclusion of specific groups.

Epilogue: Toward a Glocal Perspective

The worldwide diffusion and constant elaboration of educational equity as a public policy discourse since the mid-twentieth century epitomizes policy innovation on a global scale. The evolution and expansion of various discursive networks that tie educational professionals and reformers across countries has facilitated spreading educational equity as a universalistic policy principle throughout most parts of the globe, raising renewed awareness of inequalities and exclusions rooted deeply in social structures. A majority of countries have formally announced that their education systems are committed to education for all regardless of sociocultural group memberships.