Globalization has a profound effect on the mission and goals of
education worldwide. One of its most visible manifestations is the
worldwide endorsement of the idea of "education for global citizenship,"
which has been enthusiastically supported by national governments,
politicians, and policy-makers across different nations. Increasingly,
the educational institutions feel under pressure to respond to
globalization forces by preparing students to engage competitively and
successfully with this new realm, lest their nations be left in the
dust. What is the role of international schools in implementing the idea
of "education for global citizenship"? How do these schools create a
culturally unbiased global curriculum when the adopted models have been
developed by Western societies and at the very least are replete with
(Western) cultural values, traditions, and biases? This collection of
essays attempts to grapple with these complex issues, while highlighting
that culture and politics closely intertwine with schooling and
curriculum as parents, administrators, teachers, and students of
different backgrounds and interests negotiate definitions of self and
each other to construct knowledge in particular contexts. The goal is to
examine the complexity of factors that drive the global demand for
"education for global citizenship" and de-construct the contested nature
of "global citizenship" by examining how the phenomenon is understood,
interpreted, and modified in different cultural settings. The authors
provide not only a thick description of their cases, but also a critical
assessment of various attempts to initiate and implement educational
reforms aimed at the development of globally-minded citizens in various
national settings.
