Comparative Education in Spain: Thirty Years of

Contributions (1974-2005)

Ferran FerrerProfessor of Comparative Education Autonomous University of Barcelona

CERC / Faculty of Education/ The University of Hong Kong

6 February 2006

Previous analyses

• Why?• Who?... L.M. Naya & F.Ferrer• Materials...• Structure: 3 stages• Contexts... to understand better:

– Political level: dictatorship (1939-1977)... democracy / recognition of the Spanish regions in Basic Law (1977-2006)

– Educational level (French... English model) – University level (Napoleonic... Anglo-Saxon model)

First Stage: The Beginnings of the Society (1974-1979)

• J. Tusquets (1974-1977):– Institute of Comparative Pedagogy... 1964 and

Educational Perspectives... – Educational Perspectives... editorial– In the beginning of the WCCES (2ond World

Congress, Geneva, 1974)– Section of Spanish Pedagogical Society or separate

Society...– Madrid or Barcelona

• Ricardo Marin (1977- 1979):- Barcelona... Valencia- First Newsletter: 1978

First Stage: The Beginnings of the Society (1974-1979)

• Characteristics– Internationally renowned university

professors... Not societies.... Spain in political international isolation

– Small group of professors... Not research groups...

– SEPC without normative statutes

Second Stage: The Consolidation of Society (1979-1994)

• Ricardo Marin (1979-1994):– Change in the Board of Directors– 9th CESE Conference, Valencia, 1979:

• International and national arguments• Increasing members

– Statutes approved (1980)... SEPC– Recognition of the “comparative centres” in every

university– National Congress of Comparative Educ.– SEPC members in international societies– Comparative Pedagogy vs. Comparative Education

Second Stage: The Consolidation of the Society (1979-1994)

• Characteristics– Formal consolidation– Growing members of the Society... with

dispersed profile– Comparative Pedagogy = sub-specialisation

of Pedagogy (non CC.E)– Democratic structure... “one voice, one vote”– Structure based in University Centres– Definitive implementation of Newsletter

(internal communication)

Third Stage: The Specialisation of the Society (1994-2006)

• Some important contextual factors...– Spain stronger in Europe and Europe stronger

on the inside... More international studies to compare

– “Comparative education”, compulsory subject in the Spanish universities

Third Stage: The Specialisation of the Society (1994-2006)

• J.L. García Garrido (1994-1998) / Á. Gonzalez (1998-2002) / F. Ferrer (2002-2006):– New name: SEEC (1994)– New Statutes (1994/2003)– New Review (1994...): REEC– Regularisation of Newsletter (2 times a year)– Regularisation of National Congress (every 2 years)– New Scientific Seminar (1999/2001)– Pedro Rosselló Prize (2003)– SEEC Website (2000)

Third Stage: The Specialisation of the Society (1994-2006)

• Characteristics:– Epistemological change (SEPC... SEEC)– Stable nucleus of around 140 persons– Specialists in comparative education– Maintenance of democratic structure– Continued functioning of the Newsletter– Continued National Congress– More international visibility: review and

website

Future...

• An important element to which the SEEC will have to contribute is a more profound cultivation of comparative education as a field of study. We cannot remain at the level of “talking there about what is done here and talking here about what is done there”. It is imperative for comparative education scholars to do the real work of comparison and to transcend the barriers of mere description, aiming for more analytical and explanatory approaches, and even seeking new objects of study that would result in expanding the current boundaries of comparative education.

Web site:

http://www.sc.ehu.es/seec

Webmaster: Prof. Luis M. Naya: seec@sc.ehu.es