This paper documents the findings of an ESRC-funded project about religion in the context of the international global shipping industry, with particular focus on the work of port chaplains. We describe the physical, emotional, spiritual and financial risks involved in port chaplaincy work, and the way this form of religious employment is…

The controversy surrounding Sri Lanka's privatising education system is one of the most pressing social and political issues facing the country today. This paper explores the history of this debate by drawing connections to broader processes of colonialism and neoliberalism. Particularly, this paper traces the shifting sociocultural functions of…

Globalisation as a worldwide integrating force leads to changes in the social structures, values and mindsets of people. Parents raise their children expecting they would take care of them in old age but the globalised economy has given rise to a materialistic culture in which children migrate to other cities or countries. Parents accept this in…

Perception of a single chain of the Kazakh history as the history of their ethnic consciousness and self-awareness, and not as a history of the events or stories of artefacts presents the most important political task, which could be solved only through the metaphysical, philosophical synthesis of views from the primitive to modern times. The…

Global education agendas frequently draw on the construct of 'school readiness', indexing the developmental trajectories of children to the expectations of school systems. Through in-depth ethnographic research in a village in Bihar, India, this paper examines how normative discourses of 'school readiness' govern family strategies for early…

In a shrinking world where events across the globe become relevant for the lives of masses of people regardless of the distances that divide them, some serious issues have arisen which have particular significance for education policies and practice. Too many children are growing up against a backdrop of polarised views and attitudes which is a…

Despite the increased trend towards secularisation in state schooling, issues of religion and spirituality have remained important. Increased pluralism within societies through expanding migration patterns is changing the religious and cultural contours of many countries in Europe and North America, and is creating a need for a deeper…

The researcher aimed to come up with a mission-centered strategic management system for Paulinian schools using the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) approach. To achieve this project, a consensus was derived from 39 schools in the Philippines run by the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres (SPC) using the Delphi technique. The resulting BSC model included five…

In the past twenty years, Russian education has undergone transformations under the influence of global discourses. In this ethnographic study, I draw on Bakhtin's (1981) theory of dialogue to examine how actors respond to these transformations. The purpose of my study is threefold: to document the emic perspectives on the changes, to reconstruct…

Lynne Lawrence puts forward the solemn belief that each child is fulfilling the destiny of every human being. As children make their own contributions to their unique family, society, and global life, they are putting the common good above their own needs. Lawrence begins her case for universality with a moving statement from an African teacher in…

This paper considers the challenges faced by contemporary Catholic Education systems with particular reference to the contrast between the prevailing neo-liberal agenda and gospel values. It explicates this contrast from the perspectives of current critiques of the influence of the new manageralism in education and relevant literature on Catholic…

This book provides an overview and analysis of current tensions, debates and key issues within OECD nations, particularly Australia, the USA, Canada and the UK, with regard to where education is and should be going. Using a broad historical analysis, it investigates ideas and visions about the future that are increasingly evoked to support…

After an overview of the British context in 2005 and its ambivalent attitude to Church schools, this article explores the issues of potential religious abuse, alongside a preferred holistic Christian discipleship. The final section explains how Church schools can operate in a way that encourages Christian nurture and prevent religious abuse. The…

This paper focuses on the significance of debate within and beyond religious communities over faith representation in relation to globalisation and migration. It analyses ways in which globalisation affects forms of religiosity and spiritual identity, among the young and their elders in religious communities, using two case studies: one from Islam…

Rudolf Steiner and Ken Wilber claim that human consciousness is evolving beyond the "formal", abstract, intellectual mode toward a "post-formal", integral mode. Wilber calls this "vision-logic" and Steiner calls it "consciousness/spiritual soul". Both point to the emergence of more complex, dialectical,…