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China is often seen as a monolith outside its borders. However, heterogeneity and interculturality have characterized the Middle Kingdom for centuries. Today, China's take on diversity is too easily disparaged or perceived as ambiguous - as if China was not legitimate to take part in conversations about it.
The authors wish to contribute to global discussions about interculturality in education, which have often been dominated by 'Western' voices, by problematizing a very specific Chinese perspective called Minzu ('ethnic') education. Minzu is presented as a potential companion to other forms of diversity education (multicultural, intercultural, transcultural, cross-cultural, global education). Without claiming that they have found a miraculous and one-size-fits all recipe, they argue that the lessons learnt from researching various aspects of Minzu in Chinese education can also help students, researchers, educators, and decision-makers unthink and rethink the central issue of interculturality. As such the book introduces the complexity, contradictions and benefits of Minzu while helping the reader consider how compatible and complementary it could be with discussions of interculturality in other parts of the world. The book also aims at making readers observe critically their own contexts.
This book was written with an open mind and it should be read with the same.
List of contents
Foreword
Prof. Sude Introduction Making sense of the notion of Minzu Specificities of Minzu education Minzu inside out Being 'good' at interculturality: Answers from Minzu education Minzu as an entry into the smörgåsbord of interculturality Conclusions - On the importance of companions, complements and alternatives in education
About the author
Fred Dervin is Professor of Multicultural Education at the University of Helsinki, Finland. He specializes in intercultural education, the sociology of multiculturalism, and student and academic mobility.
Mei Yuan is an Associate Professor at the School of Education, Minzu University of China. She specializes in Minzu and intercultural education.
Summary
In this book, the authors problematize a Chinese perspective of interculturality, Minzu (‘ethnic’) education, arguing that the lessons learnt from researching various aspects of Minzu in Chinese education can help students, researchers, educators, and decision-makers unthink and rethink the central issue of interculturality.
