To understand the concept of "Christian vocation" within the context of higher education in a postcommunist society, reflection on its communist and postcommunist history is necessary. Thus, the authors first present an analysis of Eastern Europe's Marxist past, specifically focusing on the external and internal impact of that past on…

Since 1933 marked the end of autonomous and democratic women's associations, historiography tends to neglect the study of feminist voices under National-Socialism. This paper looks at one of "völkisch" feminist movement's leaders, writer and journalist Sophie Rogge-Börner (1878-1955), whose claims for gender equality were rooted in…

This paper examines 126 research articles from three comparative education journals to chart the development of knowledge within comparative education on the Soviet Union and post-Soviet countries. Thematic, theoretical, discursive, and methodological aspects of scholarship are linked with changing geopolitical realities in a systematic analysis…

The struggle for meaning is central to human existence. Beyond material needs meaning offers purpose and hope to our lives. The present context of our existence is now shaped by the powerful influence of global capitalism which disrupts the communal bonds of traditional communities leaving an atomized individualism in its place. In the more…

W. Edwards Deming has suggested 96% of organization performance is a function of the organization's structure. He contends only about 4% of an organization's performance is attributable to the people. This is a fundamental difference as most school leaders work with the basic assumption that 80% of a school's performance is related to staff and…

This article gives Michael Agar's email responses to two questions put by Gavin Melles: "What are your thoughts on the advantages and dangers of developments in applied anthropology for ethnographic and anthropology practice?" and "What are your impressions of the potential and actual use of ethnography in design?" The…

This article provides an account of a range of research and development endeavours in the Western Balkans and in Kyrgystyan in which the non-positional approach to teacher leadership has been deployed in various ways. The article illuminates how, in the case of the Balkan countries, the support for teacher leadership has been successfully linked…

This article argues that vital resources for teaching the relationship of German and the global to advanced undergraduate language students can be found in a critical approach to the rich tradition of cosmopolitanism in canonical German-language texts. One especially rich vein of this tradition is the historical depiction of relationships between…

American university globalization has increasingly targeted and been courted by authoritarian states. While the reasons for these partnerships are manifold--including the ease of top-down large-scale monetary investment, "knowledge economy" development strategies, social engineering programs, and other corporate and imperial…

This paper provides insight into how the discourse of the New Unity Movement (NUM) can potentially contribute to educational development in the context of South Africa's social inequality. It describes the political lens of the NUM and how its discourse countered the oppressive forces of a capitalist-apartheid system, in a struggle for an…

This paper presents results from an ethnographically informed study based on focus group discussions where rural Ngoni farmers in the southern highlands of Tanzania voice their ideas about their cultural heritage, with a special focus on attitudes towards Ngoni culture and cultural changes. With a model based on Ehala [2009. "Connecting the…

Education policy ambitions or presumptions in most countries are being accused of turning schools into social factories to supply humanpower to produce commodities. This is apparent bureaucratic education policy imposition on school-actors which promotes class division and conflict in sharing resources. Using the Marxist-critical-lenses, this…

The report provides a social and historical perspective on how Finland's education system was built and emerged as a high performer in Europe by 2000. In highlighting Finland's strengths, the authors focus on: (1) Finland's long-standing commitment to supporting all of its students as the driver of strong outcomes; (2 the systems's emphasis on…

Education Studies as an academic discipline within HE in the UK is a contested area. One thing most Education Studies programmes might agree on is that they are "critical". But what is a genuinely critical Education Studies degree? And, how could such a programme survive within the hostile neoliberal environment of the contemporary UK?…

According to Agenda 21, the United Nation's action plan for sustainable development, "Governments and private sector organisations should promote more positive attitudes towards sustainable consumption through education, public awareness programmes and other means". But some could wonder whether the cultivation of frugal consumption…