Perspectives on Comparative and International Education in Oceania

Abstract

Through the ideas of and within Oceania that we outline, and within which we locate architecture and institutions for CIE regionally, we illustrate the identified turning points through analysis of dynamic and intersecting trajectories of the Oceania Comparative and International Education Society (OCIES), formerly the Australia and New Zealand Comparative and International Education Society (ANZCIES), and the Vaka Pasifiki, formerly the Rethinking Pacific Education Initiative for and by Pacific Peoples (RPEIPP) project. We offer initial responses to an over-arching theme in posing the question: how, and through what processes, have these groups influenced understandings of 'regionalism' for CIE within Oceania? This involves examining the conferences, financing, membership, the Society journal/publications and aspects of CIE education of the two bodies.

Pacific relationalities in a critical digital space: The Wellington southerlies as a leadership experience

“…In recent years, Pacific academics have begun to re-balance attention to account for what is said in academic engagements and, progressively, the context in which that engagement occurs (McCormick & Johannson-Fua, 2019;Wolfgramm-Foliaki et al, 2018). This move is part of a regionally-actioned reclamation of the authority to speak in and through one's own space (Sanga & Reynolds, 2017).…”

“…This move is part of a regionally-actioned reclamation of the authority to speak in and through one's own space (Sanga & Reynolds, 2017). Globally, there are many Indigenous conversational methodologies (Kovach, 2010) that invoke specific understandings of relational space, and the Pacific region is blessed with multiple relational oralities (McCormick & Johannson-Fua, 2019) capable of significant academic contributions. When appreciated, these methodologies and the spaces they invoke have the potential to re-shape academic engagement.…”

Decolonising ‘Context’ in Comparative Education: The Potential of Oceanian Theories of Relationality

“…In responding to the call for this special issue, therefore, we were mindful of the extent to which the cie tensions we identify -those arising from perceived inadequacies in how cie theorises 'context' , and in the continued and deeply 'entangled' colonial legacy within cie as a field of knowledge production -have shaped cie theory and practice in the region to which we belong (McCormick & Johansson-Fua, 2019). In recent years our regional cie society, the Oceania Comparative and International Education Society (ocies), has undergone a continuing process of revitalization with the explicit aim of developing a more diverse and inclusive cie space, one more representative of the context for which it is named (Coxon & McLaughlin, 2017).…”