The Comparative Education Society of Asia
9th Biennial Conference: Hangzhou, China, May 16-18, 2014
Education, Equality and Social Harmony:
Asian Experiences in Comparative Perspective
Host: School of Education, Hangzhou Normal University
http://cesa2014-hznu.com
The relationship between education and social inequality has aroused increasingly acute concern in many Asian societies over recent years. Rapid industrialization and urbanization in developing Asian countries has been accompanied in many cases by widening regional and urban-rural divides, as urban elites enjoy expanding access to global opportunities (in education and employment), while the less-privileged struggle to secure good-quality basic education. Meanwhile, globalization, rapid technological and commercial change, and the increasing currency of international ‘league tables’ of educational performance have fuelled a tendency amongst many policymakers to see education above all as a lever for maximizing national economic competitiveness.
It is with this context in mind that the 2014 CESA conference takes as its theme: Education, Equality and Social Harmony – Asian Experiences in Comparative Perspective. The conference invites participants to consider what we can learn from the experiences of developed and developing societies, within Asia and beyond, regarding the relationship between education, equality and stability or ‘harmony’ – both within particular societies, and in their relations with each other. This theme is intended to stimulate debate over what different societies can teach us regarding the balance to be struck between education’s role in promoting economically-relevant ‘skills’, and the other vital roles that it performs – in terms of political socialization, the distribution of opportunity, and the broad fostering of those capabilities necessary to the pursuit of a fulfilling life. It thus encompasses the whole range of educational thought, policy and practice, but particularly encourages participants to consider educational phenomena – as comparativists have traditionally done – in terms of their relationship with, and implications for, the broader social, political and cultural context.
Paper presentations at this conference will be grouped around the following thirteen sub-themes:
● Higher education in an era of expansion–quality, access and equity
● The teaching profession–conditions, training, role and status
● Technology and new forms of educational provision–social implications
● Education, society and the market
● Curriculum development–control or autonomy, diversity or uniformity, elitism or equality?
● Technology and new forms of educational provision – social implications
● The educational experiences of minorities, migrants and refugees
● Gender and educational equity – structures and values
● Education and international harmony – or discord
● Policy, finance and administration – designing equitable education systems
● ‘Lifelong’ and ‘life-wide’ education – changing patterns of adult, non-formal and vocational education
● Pre-schooling and child care – educational and social implications
● Education and social inclusion for students with ‘special needs’
The conference will feature keynote addresses by the following distinguished scholars:
-Prof. WANG Yingjie (Beijing Normal University, President of the China Comparative Education Society)
-Prof. KARIYA Takehiko (University of Oxford; formerly of the University of Tokyo)
-Prof. Krishna KUMAR (University of Delhi, former Head of the National Council for Educational Research and Training) (to be confirmed)
-Prof. Paul MORRIS (IOE, University of London; former President of the Hong Kong Institute of Education)
Paper presentations:
Those wishing to present papers should email an abstract and completed registration form (downloadable from http://cesa2014-hznu.com/show.asp?id=5) to: cesa2014conference@163.com.
For early bird registration, please submit abstracts by February 28. (You will informed by March 7 whether your abstract has been accepted, and will then have to register by March 31 to enjoy the discount.)
The final deadline for abstract submission is April 11 (You will be informed by April 14 whether your abstract has been accepted, and will then have to register and pay by April 30 to enjoy the pre-conference registration rate. Those paying at the conference itself will have to pay the full fee, as shown on the website: http://cesa2014-hznu.com/show.asp?id=5.)
When preparing an abstract, please consult the full Call for Papers, available on the conference website: http://cesa2014-hznu.com.
For further information on the conference, please consult the website, or write to:
