Globalisation and its Consequences for Scholarship in Philosophy of Education

Abstract

A manifestation of globalisation as an economic imperative has occurred at the national level in Australia.This manifestation is in the form of political policies, administrative practices and funding distribution ostensibly aimed at creating a more competitive national economy.Philosophy of Education, as a practice and product of some employees in the higher education industry in Australia, is being influenced by this manifestation of globalisation.Reflection on ways in which established concepts are being reshaped to suit the agenda of globalising political policies may assist those engaged in philosophising about education to enhance their practice in ways they desire.It is argued here that such reflection should lead many academics in Australian universities to the conclusion that they should not undertake research and that research should not be part of the job specification for most academics employed in Australian universities. The argument in this paper is based on a set of epistemological assumptions about the nature of academic practices or traditions (cf.Toulmin, 1972).Philosophy of Education is one such academic tradition or practice.A university may be conceived of as a community of academics engaged in a range of traditions or practices.A university may also be conceived of as a quasi‐governmental administrative entity employing workers to value‐add to customers intending to maximise personal economic rewards from future engagement in a more competitive national economy.

Thinking my way back to you: John Dewey on the communication and formation of concepts

“…Yet other scholars, including Patrick Fitzsimons (2000), Hansen (2009a), Bruce Haynes (2002), Kathy Hytten (2009) andMariana Papastephanou (2005) caution that we should not be naively optimistic as the current unprecedented interdependence of nations making up the global community provides similarly unprecedented opportunities for exploitation, consumerism, and greed. Globalization is contributing to the widening and deepening of inequity.…”

“…This unilateral, competitive culture has lead to increasing modernization (Papastephanou, 2005, p. 542), a revival of neoliberalism (Papastephanou, 2005, p. 543), the standardization of taste (Saito, 2006, p. 131), and the treatment of education as a means to national ends (Haynes, 2002;Heath, 2002, p. 38;Papastephanou, 2005, p. 544).…”

Difference‐sensitive communities, networked learning, and higher education: potentialities and risks

“…I admit that some kind of tradition (Haynes, 2002) and some kind of shared conception of public good (Bagnall, 2002) and generalizable interests, are necessary precisely for the defense of the richness of experience and the quality of life of different and less hegemonic groups. And I accept that absolute commitment and full embodiment may often have an irreplaceable existential significance for the subject.…”

Globalisation, Globalism and Cosmopolitanism as an Educational Ideal

“…Some others refer to the fact that globalisation threatens traditional forms and structures of pedagogy to render them obsolete (Heath, 2002). Haynes (2002, p. 103) contrasts the conception of the university ‘as a community of academics engaged in a range of traditions or practices’ with its conception as a ‘quasi‐governmental administrative entity’—a conception shaped by globalizing procedures and the tolerance or welcome they encounter in educational systems and policies. The latter conception should be combated because it reduces the university to an organization ‘employing workers to value‐add to customers intending to maximise personal economic rewards from future engagement in a more competitive national economy’ (p. 103).…”

“…4 4 On the dangerous impact of competitiveness and the pursuit of self‐interest on gender issues, see Blackmore (2000, pp. 480–1) and on personal relations generally, see Haynes (2002, p. 108). …”