1st Edition

International Education and Development Culture, Context and Narrative

By David Stephens Copyright 2019
    178 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    178 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Drawing on a wide range of international contexts, International Education and Development provides an innovative and comprehensive critique of developments to improve schooling in the global South. Offering both a theoretical critique of the field and a series of case studies, drawn from recent research, illustrating the usefulness of a narrative approach, it generates a greater understanding of the meta-narratives that shape development and international education.

    Focusing on three periods of extensive field work in South Africa, Bangladesh and Mauritius, this book reflects upon the combination of narrative and biographical approaches in different national settings. Context is provided in three levels, meta, meso and micro, through a clear and critical examination of the macro ‘stories’ of development and international education over the past fifty years, and an examination of the role that narrative can play at local and micro levels, looking at the stories of individual decision makers – from children in the classroom to education officers at the district education office – and the opportunities and challenges of using these accounts for research, teaching and policy-making purposes.

    International Education and Development adds a global perspective to an area dominated by a concern with the Northern industrialised world, making it an essential text for students following courses in the social sciences, and individuals working the field of international education. It addresses a fundamental concern of development theory in a unique and engaging manner. A highly original contribution to a growing field, this book synthesises developments both in this field and in the growing topic of narrative research.

    List of figures

    List of tables

    Acknowledgements:

    Part One: ‘Grand Narratives’ of theory and methodology in international education and development

    Chapter One Introduction

    Chapter Two Theoretical insights into culture, context and narrative

    Chapter Three The methodological and epistemological narrative: researching culture, context and narrative

    Part Two: Narratives from the field

    Chapter Four National narratives of South Africa

    The national narrative of South Africa

    The cultural narrative

    The education narrative

    Chapter Five South African teacher narratives across two generations – from struggle to emancipation

    Chapter Six National narratives of Bangladesh

    The national narrative of Bangladesh

    The cultural narrative

    The NGO BRAC narrative

    Chapter Seven At the office – Bangladeshi stories of administration, management and change.

    Chapter Eight National narratives of Mauritius

    The national narrative of Mauritius

    The cultural narrative

    The education narrative

    Chapter Nine Mauritian school students - narratives from an island classroom

    Chapter Ten Conclusions: Learning from narratives of education and development

    References

    Index

     

    Biography

    David Stephens is Professor of International Education in the Education Research Centre, University of Brighton, UK.