Lawrence
E. Harrison and Samuel P. Huntington (Eds)
Basic Books
There
is rising interest in Asian English education
circles as to what extent culture matters.
One cannot escape the importance of education
in the development equation with the editors
quoting literacy and drop out rates as
indicators of relevance to the measure
of a country's advancement. In this respect,
Harrison's and Huntington's book, which
emphasizes the connection between the
"quality" of a country's culture
and its level of development, while somewhat
dated, (first published in 2000) may still
provide a good primer on better understanding
the cultural agenda of U.S. governance
and by extension its possible impact on
even foreign education all the way down
to Asian EFL.
For
those who see the book as outside the
scope of Asian education, one should be
reminded that the underlying principles
to curricula in a number of Asian countries
have been imported from the United States
and shaped by that country's culture,
(e.g. the communicative approach, individual
student centered teaching, teaching through
games) However, such imports are being
increasingly challenged for their lack
of cultural appropriateness and sensitivity
to Asian values. On the other side of
the coin, the book which has substantial
content on Asia, may indirectly provide
"grist for the mill" on why
Asian education seems so unappealing to
the hundreds of thousands of East Asian
students in particular who seem to flee
abroad in search of less rigid hierarchy,
greater gender sensitivity, richer curricula,
more academic freedom and appreciation
for their individuality.
The
book emanates from a symposium attached
to the Harvard University Academy for
International and Area studies - an organization
with a mandate to foster western values
among select young scholars and students
from Third World countries who are hoped
to become part of the new leadership in
their countries. Naysayers who make contributions
include the famed Jeffrey Sachs who sees
geography and climate of much greater
import in explaining different degrees
of development between countries. While
Sachs, currently a Harvard scholar, comes
from the global investment banking field
in his past incarnation, other contributors
among the over twenty authors, such as
Richard Shweder come from a wide range
of backgrounds. For example, Shweder,
an anthropologist infers the strong commitment
to western values by the editors as a
kind of "First World Conceit".
One
wonders on a cursory inspection of western
public schools with too many problems
of drug use, high drop out rates in a
variety of districts, complaints by many
educators of problems of managing highly
individualistic students and the high
level of burnout by teachers, whether
Harrison and Huntington forgot to sufficiently
critique the negatives of western cultural
values. Shweder refers to evangelical
zeal of those who are overly enamored
with the western cultural model, but possibly
undermines his apparent leanings towards
cultural relativism with his description
of jokes by members of his profession
about the merits and demerits of cannibalism.
Another
interesting chapter comes from Francis
Fukuyama who may be well known for his
pre 911 book stating that the American
way had finally emerged victorious - beating
out every other ideology including communism.
Fukuyama argues that globalization is
essentially drawing more and more of the
world to western liberal values, which
increasingly resonate strongly to ever
broadening numbers of the world population.
He argues that Western styled liberalism
is largely a juggernaut - unstoppable
and logical for development - universally
and locally. It is a little hard to completely
underwrite that view given the tensions
between the West and Islamic civilizations
and latterly the strains between East
Asia and America. The book seems to lack
a counter position to that view, but again
one has to remember it came out before
the Twin Tower attack. That again, takes
away from its value to readers.
There
are also interesting contributions on
gender issues including those by Barbara
Crossette with references to female circumcision/mutilation.
Some of the visible extreme inequities
especially in certain Third World countries
may make many readers also feel almost
evangelical at times for the need for
some kind of strong intervention to correct
such blatant injustices. In light of such
stories, American liberal feminists might
share more with neo-conservatives in demanding
faster change in such foreign cultures
even if their agendas may not always overlap.
This brings one to the complex question
of when to pressure, intervene or simply
persuade when faced with 'extreme' cultural
practices. President Bush would seem to
go into territory where Harrison and Huntington
seem to leave to progressive change through,
for example, developing more enlightened
"Third World" leadership of
a new generation at Harvard. Interventionism
is not dealt with and not considered an
option. Given current realities, a scholarly
view on that issue would provide more
current capital to the reader of today.
While
the editors and various contributors show
admiration for some Asian values, in the
three chapters about Asia - which come
under the rubric of the Asian crisis -
it is clear that there is a tendency in
the book to see Asian cultural values
overall as insufficient in their potential
contribution to freedom and justice. These
two values are listed by Harrison as important
and integral parts of the universal credo
of all human kind. But this book comes
from the same Huntington who emphasized
development first before freedom for many
less developed societies - something a
number of Asian governments might appreciate
in their priority to deal with massive
challenges of poverty in the immediate
now.
To
provide better understanding of such paradoxes,
it might have been better for the editors
to demonstrate their commitment to pluralism
by including more scholarly work from
non American sources both in nationality,
location and institution. They might have
also added a chapter on America in cultural
crisis given the clear dichotomy in values
as exposed by the last presidential election
and the remaining high level of social
dysfunction in society (e.g. high divorce
rates, high drug consumption) as a whole
inclusive of the public school system.
It is some of the perceived failures of
American values as manifested in that
country's education system that a growing
number of Asian educators see as worrisome
and creeping into their own country's
schools.
However,
this is a well structured book with usually
easily readable prose for many teachers
- even if highly anecdotal at times and
occasionally too steeped in economics
and political science. The book includes
some of the top scholars of our times
on development and the social and political
sciences. One of the most quoted scholars
Seymour Martin Lipset has a chapter on
corruption which is seen as a culture
related problem and as rampant in too
many Asian societies. The book even includes
Federal Reserve Chairman Greenspan's views
on the subject as a result of his examination
of the problems with the Russian economy.
Greenspan also finally concludes that
culture matters, too!
A
more two way appreciation of what could
be learned from the West and East might
have made this book, into a better "road
map" for more global harmony and
prosperity. Rather "Culture Matters"
is at times additional fuel for the battalions
of those with western evangelical zeal,
who I fear may polarize and exacerbate
divisions between Asia and the U.S."
led" west.
While
the book appears to lack sufficient balance,
if anything, it is a worthwhile read as
it provides more intellectual insight
into the underlying direction to which
the current U.S. administration will be
arming itself to win the hearts and minds
of people through Asia and elsewhere.
This in turn will help readers better
understand new forces outside of Asia
that through the next several years will
possibly come to bear on shaping the future
of English education. It may also help
to better define the fault lines and growing
risk for an aggravated backlash to western
influences - including western native
teachers - in public schools and elsewhere.
It therefore still has timely messages
with important implications for the education
sector in the region.
