Non-Western Educational Traditions : Alternative Approaches to Educational Thought and Practice

by Reagan, Timothy G.

• ISBN13: 9780805834505
• ISBN10: 0805834508
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-01-01
• Publisher: LEA, Inc.

Summary

This text provides a brief, yet comprehensive, overview of a number of non-Western approaches to educational thought and practice. The history of education, as it has been conceived and taught in the United States (and generally in the West), has focused almost entirely on the ways in which our own educational tradition emerged, developed, and changed over the course of the centuries. Although understandable, this means the many ways that other societies have sought to meet many of the same challenges have been ignored. This book seeks to redress this omission. Its premise is that gaining an understanding of the ways that other peoples educate their children--as well as what counts for them as "education"--may help us to think more clearly about some of our own assumptions and values, as well as to become more open to alternative viewpoints about important educational matters. Because it is not traditionally included in the training of educators, very few have had any real exposure to non-Western educational traditions. Thus, the audience for this book is broad and diverse. Intended as a text for both preservice and in-service teachers, each chapter includes pedagogically helpful "Questions for Discussion and Reflection" and "Recommended Further Readings." The book is equally appropriate for advanced students in graduate programs as well as faculty members. New in the Second Edition: The text has been thoroughly revised to expand and clarify points, update chapters as needed, and improve the pedagogical usefulness of the text. A section on Mayan education has been added to the chapter on the Mesoamerican educational experience. One entirely new chapter "'Familiar Strangers': The Case of the Rom" has been included.

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
An Introduction to the Study of Non-Western Educational Traditions: A Philosophical Starting Point	1	(24)
The Challenge of Ethnocentrism	3	(4)
The Role of Constructivist Epistemology in the Study of Non-Western Educational Traditions	7	(2)
The Concept of ``Tradition'' and Its Limits	9	(1)
The Western/Non-Western Dichotomy	9	(1)
Learning from Oral Traditions	10	(2)
E.T., The Lost Continent of Atlantis, and Cannibalism: Some Reflections on Credibility and ``Otherness''	12	(2)
Commonality and Diversity in Non-Western Traditions	14	(1)
Conclusion	15	(1)
Questions for Reflection and Discussion	16	(1)
Recommended Further Readings	17	(1)
Notes	17	(8)
``A Wise Child is Talked to in Proverbs'' : Traditional African Educational Thought and Practice	25	(32)
The Goals of Traditional African Education	26	(4)
The Oral Tradition in African Education	30	(7)
Traditional Education as Moral Education	37	(1)
The Process of Initiation	38	(2)
Vocational Aspects of Traditional Education	40	(5)
Afrocentrism and the Romanticization of Africa	45	(1)
Concluding Thoughts	46	(1)
Questions for Reflection and Discussion	47	(1)
Recommended Further Readings	48	(1)
Notes	49	(8)
Training ``Face and Heart'': The Mesoamerican Educational Experience	57	(26)
Educational Thought and Practice in Classic Mayan Society	58	(3)
The Aztec Case	61	(1)
The Aztec World	62	(4)
The Aztec Conception of the ``Educated Person''	66	(3)
The Educational Functions of the Family in Aztec Society	69	(1)
Formal Schooling in Aztec Society	70	(2)
Conclusion	72	(1)
Questions for Reflection and Discussion	73	(1)
Recommended Further Readings	74	(1)
Notes	74	(9)
``Finding the True Meaning of Life'': Indigenous Education in North America	83	(18)
The Core Belief System of American Indians	85	(3)
Traditional Educational Beliefs and Practices	88	(4)
Toward a Philosophy of Native American Education	92	(2)
Conclusion	94	(1)
Questions for Reflection and Discussion	95	(1)
Recommended Further Readings	96	(1)
Notes	97	(4)
Developing the Chun-tzu: Confucius and the Chinese Educational Heritage	101	(30)
The Role of Confucian Thought in Traditional Chinese Education	105	(5)
Traditional Chinese Educational Practice	110	(3)
The Imperial Examination System	113	(3)
Science and Technology in the Chinese Tradition	116	(4)
Conclusion	120	(1)
Questions for Reflection and Discussion	120	(2)
Recommended Further Readings	122	(1)
Notes	122	(9)
``An Intelligent Man Attends on a Wise Person'': Traditional Hindu and Buddhist Educational Thought and Practice	131	(26)
The Origins of Hinduism	131	(2)
The Vedic Tradition	133	(2)
Shruti	133	(1)
Smrti	134	(1)
The Role of Sanskrit in the Vedic Tradition	134	(1)
Hindu Beliefs and Practices	135	(2)
Traditional Hindu Educational Thought	137	(2)
Traditional Hindu Educational Practice	139	(2)
Summary	141	(1)
The Buddhist Tradition	141	(2)
An Overview of Buddhism	143	(3)
Wisdom	144	(1)
Ethics	144	(1)
Meditation	144	(2)
Traditional Buddhist Educational Thought and Practice	146	(2)
Higher Education in Ancient India	148	(1)
Conclusion	149	(1)
Questions for Reflection and Discussion	149	(1)
Recommended Further Readings	150	(1)
Notes	151	(6)
``Familiar Strangers'': The Case of the Rom	157	(24)
A Word About Labels	157	(1)
The Origins of the Rom	158	(2)
The Challenge of Studying the Rom	160	(1)
Cultural and Social Values and Norms	160	(9)
Wuzho and Marime: Conceptions of Ritual Purity and Impurity	161	(1)
Family and Kinship Patterns	162	(1)
Gender Roles and Expectations	163	(1)
Earning a Living	164	(3)
Religious Belief and ``Protective Coloration''	167	(1)
Performance and ``Impression Management''	168	(1)
The Fears and Realities of Persecution: ``Even Paranoids Have Enemies''	169	(1)
Child-Rearing and Education	170	(2)
Conclusion	172	(1)
Questions for Reflection and Discussion	173	(1)
Recommended Further Readings	174	(1)
Notes	174	(7)
``No Gift is Better than Education'': The Islamic Educational Enterprise	181	(24)
Islam: An Overview	183	(7)
The Life of Muhammad	183	(1)
The Central Beliefs of Islam	184	(2)
The Five Pillars of Islam	186	(3)
The Role of the Qur'an	189	(1)
Islamic Philosophy of Education	190	(3)
Traditional Islamic Educational Practice	193	(3)
Conclusion	196	(1)
Questions for Reflection and Discussion	196	(2)
Recommended Further Readings	198	(1)
Notes	198	(7)
Themes and Lessons in the Study of Non-Western Educational Traditions: Toward a Beginning	205	(8)
Some Common Themes in Non-Western Educational Traditions	205	(4)
Areas for Future Research	209	(1)
Conclusion	210	(1)
Questions for Reflection and Discussion	210	(1)
Recommended Further Readings	211	(1)
Notes	211	(2)
Bibliography	213	(36)
Author Index	249	(10)
Subject Index	259