In this article I discuss some problems concerning the truth value of narratives; more specifically as this problematic is played out in empirical, narrative research. My point of departure is Jane O'Dea's critique of Denis Phillips' views of the topic. While Phillips thinks that truth (in the correspondence sense) definitely should be a concern…

One of the most important questions I ask as both a cultural anthropologist and a university teacher is: How do people come to know what they think they know? In this article, I adopt a narrative approach to processes of learning and discovery in two very different locales, an indigenous society in the South Pacific, and a senior seminar on…

In this essay, the author offers a reading of both Sigmund Freud's and Madelaine's Acropolis encounters to propose an "affective conflict" at play in historical relations more generally. On the one side of the conflict, the author explores at some length Freud's (1939) theory of history as "archaic inheritance," which takes the form of psychical…

In this article, the author suggests that a Foucaultian analytics of power may be used to explain not only how white, middle-class parents make school choices, but also the effects such choices have on these parents. This essay looks at an empirical moment in which a group of white, middle-class parents responded to a change that occurred in their…

In approaches to education in the tradition of critical theory, and particularly in the philosophical tradition following Paulo Freire, the idea of history as a space of possibility allows for hope, intervention, and educational and political transformation. The process of historical becoming to which liberatory education is dedicated is both…

This viewpoint examines girls' performance in primary education in the countries that joined the Education for All Fast Track Initiative between 2002 and 2008. At the time they joined the initiative, a first group of countries (high performers) had already achieved high and equal enrollment of girls and boys. Significant progress is evident in a…

How do university students perceive the key relationship between their university education and the labour market? This article describes the perceptions that 827 Egyptian and Omani seniors--both males and females, studying commerce, education, and engineering--hold about that relationship. For these students, a major motivation for attending…

Despite costly global efforts to improve and reward teacher qualifications like education and experience, little international evidence exists on the relationship between these attributes and student achievement. It is also unclear whether these attributes are more important for disadvantaged children, or in lower-income countries. This article…

In lower-income countries students face an important challenge that has not been well documented: selective teacher attention. In classes with many low-income students, teachers may concentrate on those few who can perform and neglect those who require more help. The latter may fail to learn, attend school less often, and eventually drop out.…

This article addresses the dilemmas emerging from efforts to integrate human rights values within a peace education programme being carried out in a conflict situation. Although the article is largely theoretical, it is grounded in the author's reflections on a series of teacher workshops and his overall experiences conducting ethnographic…

Despite the frequent criticisms directed toward them, in-service teacher training (INSET) programmes remain one of the most commonly used approaches for enhancing teachers' professional development. This article reports on a study that examined the effects of a part-time masters of education INSET programme based in Central China. The main source…

How do culturally, politically, and economically different actors define education in the UNESCO 1974 "Recommendation concerning Education for International Understanding, Co-operation and Peace and Education relating to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms?" This exploration of the document aims to increase understanding of the work of…

This article is an analysis of official UNESCO documents--General Conference resolutions and Executive Board decisions for the period 1946 to 1999--that address international education. It shows that international education has been key to UNESCO's mission since the organization began, and illustrates various trends in its acceptance and…

Amid rising violence against civilian aid operations in insecure environments, attacks on the education sector pose a unique set of challenges for international aid actors. In recent years incidents of violence targeting the education sector in Afghanistan and the conflict-affected areas of Pakistan have increased. This article synthesizes recent…

Between 1998 and 2003, conflict, violent crime, and a severe economic downturn pushed the Solomon Islands state to the brink of failure, exacerbating the problems of an already struggling education sector. Most schools on Guadalcanal were seriously disrupted; some were burned down or vandalized, others closed as teachers and students fled…