Comparative Education in Comparative Education in the Era of Globalisation:the Era of Globalisation:Evolution, Missions and Roles Evolution, Missions and Roles

Mark Bray 貝磊

Comparative Education Research CentreThe University of Hong Kong

&Secretary General, WCCES

Comparative Education in Comparative Education in the Era of Globalisation:the Era of Globalisation:Evolution, Missions and Roles Evolution, Missions and Roles

Mark Bray 貝磊

Comparative Education Research CentreThe University of Hong Kong

&Secretary General, WCCES

IntroductionIntroduction

Comparative education is closely linked to globalisation:

o the field is naturally concerned with cross-national analyses

o the field also responds to globalisation

IntroductionIntroduction

How has the field changed over the centuries and decades? And how should it continue to evolve?

Globalisation: Globalisation: Concepts and DebateConcepts and Debate

Globalisation is a loose concept, with diverse definitions:action at a distancetime-space compressionaccelerating interdependencea shrinking worldreordering of interregional power relations

1817 Marc-Antoine Jullien, Paris

Also other origins, elsewhere in the world

Comparative Education: Historical Comparative Education: Historical Development and EvolutionDevelopment and Evolution

Developments in first half of 20th century:

Sadler 1900, Nakajima 1916, Yu 1917, Sandiford 1918, Kandel 1935

How global were these works?

Comparative Education: Historical Comparative Education: Historical Development and EvolutionDevelopment and Evolution

Second half of 20th century: many journals, in various languages

many more books

Comparative Education: Historical Comparative Education: Historical Development and EvolutionDevelopment and Evolution

Formed 1970:• Comparative & International Education

Society (USA)• Comparative Education Society in Europe• Japanese Comparative Education Society• Comparative & Int. Ed’n Soc. of Canada• Korean Comparative Education Society

The World Council of Comparative EThe World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES)ducation Societies (WCCES)

Today: 30 societies

• 23 national/sub-national• 5 regional• 2 language-based

The World Council of Comparative EThe World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES)ducation Societies (WCCES)

But not completely stable: changes over time

Activities:Congresses every 2-3 years. Last one in Korea (July 2001). Next in Cuba (Oct. 2004)

•NGO in operational relations with UNESCO

But like all world bodies, various complexities in operation

The World Council of Comparative EThe World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES)ducation Societies (WCCES)

Strongly influenced by social sciences, but only using a limited range of tools

More qualitative than quantitative, but changing over time

Dominated by rich countries, but broadening

Paradigms, Methods and Foci in Paradigms, Methods and Foci in Comparative EducationComparative Education

But patterns are not uniform everywhere: we should talk of Comparative Educations

different paradigms within particular countries

different traditions in different countries

Paradigms, Methods and Foci in Paradigms, Methods and Foci in Comparative EducationComparative Education

Gu MingyuanHarold Noah &Max Eckstein

A pair of contrastsA pair of contrasts

Globalisation can revitalise the field, but also demands some reconceptualisation

Analytical frameworksUnits of analysisCross-border international educationForms of identityImpact of globalisation on nations

Missions and Roles in the Missions and Roles in the Era of GlobalisationEra of Globalisation

But this does not mean that traditional topics should be abandoned.

Rather, it stresses that the agenda should be expanded, and should reach more people

Comparative education, by its nature, is closely related to globalisation

The widening, deepening and speeding up applies to comparative education as much as to other fields

ConclusionsConclusions

ConclusionsConclusions

The institutions of the field can assist: specialist societies and WCCES

Don’t expect the field to reach a common perspective on good or bad aspects of globalisation

But do continue the dialogue!

The end