'Jihad' vs. 'McWorld'

The article argues that greater attention should be paid to contextual factors in educational research and international development cooperation. The analysis draws upon principles that underpin socio-cultural approaches to comparative education, a critical analysis of the political economy of contemporary educational research, and recent research experience in small states worldwide.

Context matters in educational research and international development: Learning from the small states experience

Research capacity building and its impact on policy and practice are increasingly highlighted in the literature on international research partnerships. In the field of education and development, it is recognised that, in the past, international research collaborations have tended to be dominated by the agenda of Northern partners. Partly in response, new modalities are developing and, in the UK, funding has recently been channelled through large consortia of research institutions spread across several countries delivering a themed programme of research projects. These are expected to build research capacity in the South and influence policy in the countries in which research is conducted, at the same time as producing quality research of international relevance. This article reflects critically on the experience of one research consortium made up of academic institutions in the UK and sub‐Saharan Africa. It analyses participation in setting the research agenda, distribution of leadership and forms of capa...

International collaboration and research capacity building: learning from the EdQual experience

This paper draws upon a case study of education in the small Caribbean state of Saint Lucia (population 154,000) to examine how local knowledge and values can influence the education policy process. It is argued that recent research development initiatives have strengthened the ability of Saint Lucia to mediate international education agendas to suit its distinctive ‘social ecology’ and circumstances as a small state. Saint Lucians, it is argued, are reconceptualizing educational research in ways that better reflect the society's Kweyol‐majority culture, oral traditions and postcolonial context. The boundaries of educational research are therefore being stretched to incorporate local knowledge and values and multiple modes of meaning‐making. The paper argues that increased recognition of the epistemological issues and cultural values that are at the heart of efforts to strengthen research capacity can play a crucial role in democratizing the education policy process and educational research itself.

Whose Knowledge, Whose Values? The Contribution of Local Knowledge to Education Policy Processes: A Case Study of Research Development Initiatives in the Small State of Saint Lucia.

This paper critically examines the impact of global development agendas upon the nature and direction of educational development in small states. This generates a critique of the international transfer of western identifies the policy trajectories and related research modalities, strategic importance of small states, and explores possible ways forward for the future support and advancement of educational research in such contexts. In doing so, priority attention is given to the potential of collaborative research initiatives, and to strategies for supporting and strengthening local research capacity.

The advancement of educational research in small states

The phenomenon of globalisation argues for a broader view of the world than was hitherto necessary; one that takes into account the diversity of the human experience and consequently one that requires a deeper understanding of the particularities of each of the constituencies that make up that experience. Comparative education, which has always stressed the significance of context and circumstance, is ideally placed to foster awareness of these elements that differentiate us, thereby facilitating our 'reading of the global' and cultivating in us a deeper appreciation of the interdependence of today's global community. The small states of the Caribbean which risk being further marginalised by the processes of globalisation stand to benefit from comparative education initiatives which would give greater international exposure to their particular circumstances and their contribution to world culture and civilisation. The Caribbean region has had a history of learning to live and work with people from diverse...

Pearlette Louisy

Papers

Globalisation and Comparative Education: A Caribbean perspective