"Global Perspectives on E-Learning: Rhetoric and Reality" presents several cases of international online education and the rhetoric that surrounds this form of teaching and learning. Written from a critical perspective, the book investigates some of the problems faced by international distance educators. It particularly focuses on who benefits, and who does not, by the advance of international e-learning and how we can respond to the needs of the disenfranchised. The book is intended to supplement what has to this point been largely a positive, how-to literature in distance education, offering discourse on both the problems and possibilities of distance education worldwide. The book is suited as a supplemental text for a variety of graduate-level education courses, and is targeted to professional educators, policy makers, and those interested in international online education. Key features include: (1) International case studies and discussions that show how initiatives interface with the international e-learning movement; (2) Focus questions at the start of each chapter help readers construct an advanced schema; (3) Viewpoints from around the world provide a sophisticated and comprehensive overview; (4) Coverage from a number of countries; and (5) A matrix of case studies, grouped by focus and theme. Contents include: (1) Online Education in Asia: An Analysis of China, Taiwan, and India (Alison A. Carr-Chellman); (2) China's Online Education: Rhetoric and Realities (Ke Zhang); (3) The Gap between E-Learning Availability and E-Learning Industry Development in Taiwan (Jiang Jia qi); (4) The Distance in Education and Online Technologies in India (Priya Sharma); (5) Online Education in Europe: An Analysis of Ireland, UK, Turkey and International Study Circles (Alison A. Carr-Chellman); (6) Online Learning and Differential Participation in a Democratic Society: Ireland as a Case Study (Sarah Fitzpatrick and Paul Conway); (7) E-Learning Democracy and Social Exclusion--Issues of Access and Retention in the UK (Ormond Simpson); (8) International Study Circles (Ben Salt); (9) A Critical Look at Distance Education in Turkey (Husra Gursoy); (10) Online Education in North America: An Analysis of the U.S. and Canadian Contributions (Alison A. Carr-Chellman); (11) Canada's SchoolNet: Wiring Up Schools? (Leslie R. Shade and Diane Y. Dechief); (12) The New Frontier: Web-Based Education in US Culture (Alison A. Carr-Chellman); (13) Online Education Down Under: An Analysis of Aotearoa/New Zealand and Australia (Alison A. Carr-Chellman); (14) New Zealand: Is Online Education a Highway to the Future? (Bill Anderson); (15) Towards Borderless Virtual Leaning in Higher Education (Colin Latchem); (16) Online Education in Africa: An Analysis of Namibia and Sub-Saharan Africa (Alison A. Carr-Chellman); (17) Development and Democracy in Namibia: The Contribution of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) (R. Kavena Shalyef and Hilda Nakakuwa); (18) Can You Lead from Behind? Critical Reflections on the Rhetoric of E-Learning, Open Distance Learning and ICTs for Development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) (Wayne Mackintosh); and (19) Stalled: E-Learning as Thwarted Innovation (Robert Zemsky and William F. Massy). The book includes an introduction and conclusion by the editor.