Education can contribute to peace and reconciliation as well as to conflict and strife. The complex, often contradictory role of education in conflict is explored in this article in relation to Sudan. The focus of the article is the North-South conflict, bearing in mind that other, "minor" wars and military clashes in both the North and South have…

This article compares the changes in the determination of educational aspirations from the end of the communist period in 1989 to 2003, focusing on a single postcommunist country, the Czech Republic. The Czech case is particularly relevant for comparative research on educational inequality and aspirations, as previous studies have shown…

A number of studies have explored aspects of education relating to the reintegration of former child soldiers into their communities. In particular, researchers have shown the negative effects of child soldiering on the educational and economic outcomes of former child soldiers. A few studies have discussed the relative benefits of education for…

This article explores the "two faces" model of education through which Kenneth Bush and Diana Saltarelli (2000) describe the positive and negative roles that education can play in situations of ethnic conflict. The authors apply it more narrowly to analyze the effect of inclusion and diversity in education in a conflict situation. In addition to…

In this article, the authors examine the role of education in the maintenance of social cohesion and the formation of new identities amid the economic decline and political volatility of six new nations: Azerbaijan, in the southern Caucasus, and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in Central Asia. The authors first…

This article has four sections. First, the author presents a theoretical discussion of the different explanations regarding the explosion of education after World War II. She explains how the actor-network theory--a theory of knowledge and of agency--enables people to understand the formation of the education-economic growth black box. The…

This article is dedicated to shedding light on a spectrum of issues in educational thought in Islam, which may--due to their universal relevance--be of interest not only to specialists but also to a wider readership. It also provides an idea of the educational views and philosophies advocated by some great medieval Muslim thinkers which offer…

Since the events of September 11, 2001, Islamic institutions of learning have received much attention. Indonesia's "pesantren" (Islamic boarding schools) have been increasingly described as fostering radicalism and violent militancy, particularly in light of purported links between a few of the country's "pesantren" and some of the perpetrators of…

This article presents a brief critical commentary on Martin Carnoy's presidential address from Robert F. Arnove, Nelly P. Stromquist, Christine Fox, Henry M. Levin, Vandra Lea Masemann, and Erwin H. Epstein. Among other things, Arnove finds particularly useful Carnoy's recommendations on ways to engage in comparative education research, from…

Education of African Americans in the U.S. South and Black South Africans during the periods of segregation and apartheid, respectively, were similar in both the nature of school oppression and the ways that oppressed communities sought to use education to promote racial advancement. Survey, interview, and focus-group data reveal similarities in…

The worldwide cachet of scientific literacy has a distinctive cultural basis in a "world culture" that emphasizes universalism, individualism, and rationalization. Analysis of examples of a science literacy orientation in curricular statements, textbooks, and assessment materials shows that the logic of world culture, rather than narrow economic…

An open letter after September 11, 2001, reflects on education's role in promoting tolerance and peace. Further discussion focuses on liberal versus neoliberal ideology; the expansion and democratization of public education in the 20th century, guided by liberal public policy concerning the state's responsibility for social welfare and the public…

Analyzes potential effects of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) on the orientation and control of national education systems. Explains concepts of space, scale, and territorialization in relation to critical shifts in GATS's activity in education. Suggests that rescaling aspects of educational governance to the global level will…

Previous studies of the role of education in state-building have neglected the relative autonomy and non-neutral stance of the school system. Bernstein's notion of "pedagogic device" is used to illuminate conflicts and contradictions between educational development and state-building in the case of Singapore's efforts to control the curriculum of…

Analyzes political tensions related to student strikes at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), 1998-2000, which were sparked by proposed tuition fees. Discusses conflict between social justice sentiments focused on free and egalitarian access to higher education versus market-driven views promoting selective, competitive higher…