Panel 1:Ethnic and Religious Communities’ Strategies in
Education
Panel organizers: Inti Soeterik and Sanne VanderKaaijParticipants: Michael Merry (University of Amsterdam)
Christine Sleeter (California State University Monterey Bay)
Discussant: Renato Emerson dos Santos (Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro)
International Seminar Education and International Development: Why Research MattersAmsterdam, September 29-30, 2011
Introduction Participants and Set up
• Southern & Northern Perspectives• Set up
1. […] Trends, Similarities and Differences in the Cases of Brazil and India Sanne VanderKaaij & Inti Soeterik
2. The Turn toward Voluntary Separation Michael Merry
3. Ethnic Studies Curricula in the U.S.: Why they exist and What Research Says about their Value Christine Sleeter
4. Discussant: Renato Emerson dos Santos5. Plenary Discussion
Clockwise from above left: (1) Annual Day function of a private faith-based school in India; (2) Project on Afro Brazilian Culture & History public prim. school in Brazil; (3) Computer classes at a private faith-based school in India; (4) President Lula receives Black Movement Activists in government, Brazil
Ethnic and Religious Communities’ Strategies in EducationTrends, Similarities, and Differences in Brazil and India
• PhD Research (2006-present)– Sanne VanderKaaij (India): Muslim Education in Mumbai– Inti Soeterik (Brazil): Inclusion of Ethnicity/Race Issues in
the Education Curriculum
• Similarities: theme exclusion, communities, minorities
• Differences in:– strategies to overcome exclusion and towards
emancipation– consequences for education sector, schooling and
education 1
1. Emancipation Strategies
• Different expectations regarding State/Government• Different arenas in which strategies are developed
BrazilCommunity organization level high: Brazilian Black Movement
1. State incorporated in strategy focus on changing/creating legislation and national curriculum guidelines
2. Different arenas/ forms/ scales of action
3. Main focus: public sector
IndiaCommunity organization level low: self-reliance 1. State not incorporated in strategy focus on private provision rather than changing legislation and policies
2. No major strategies in public sector, political, or social movements arena.
3. Main focus: private sector realm (private schools, privately publ. textbooks)
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1a. Causes different Strategies: Brazil
State involvement because:
• Opening up of agenda on race in education in context of changing relation between Civil Society & State, due to:
- Re-democratization- Decentralization- Globalization/ impact crisis “welfare state”/ spread of
Neo-liberalism New discourse on social policies NGO-ization
• International processes & events Increased introduction of race/ethnicity on state agendas 3
1a. Causes different Strategies: India
Emphasis on self-help because:
1. Political context of distrust: Muslims’ loyalty with Pakistan and/or with the ‘ummah’?
2. Religion: Threats: Westernization, Hinduization, wrong interpretations of Islam.
3. Economy: liberalisation, privatisation, English.
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“Today the winds of a very obscene and vulgar culture have swept over the entire globe. Social conditions are becoming bad to worse… teenage promiscuity, dating, vulgar movies, senseless serials and songs and shameless fashions. Obscenity is increasing day by day. And the worst part is ‘obscene is no longer considered obscene’!
Because we want to ‘educate’ our children, we send our children to such environments where children are competing with each other in being as modern as possible, even if it means wearing minimum clothes, drinking, going out for movies, rave parties etc. If we send them to an un-Islamic environment where their friends discuss boyfriends and movies, it is possible that, in spite of our best efforts at home, our children may get affected by these wrong trends and influences right in front of our very eyes!
It is like pushing our children into a muddy puddle and still wishing that they don’t get dirty!”
(Source: Brochure school Al Mu’minah Mumbai, 2008) 5
1a. Causes different Strategies: India – contd.
Emphasis on self-help because:
1. Political context of distrust: Muslims’ loyalty with Pakistan and/or with the ‘ummah’?
2. Religion: Threats: Westernization, Hinduization, wrong interpretations of Islam.
3. Economy: liberalisation, privatisation, English.
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2. Consequences different Strategies: Effects on Education Sector, Schooling and Education
The different attitudes towards (the role of) the state affects education and schooling at the ground level, for example in:
a. Provision of and Access to Education. b. The Contents of Education.
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2a. Consequences different Strategies: for Provision and Access
India
-Policies do not change
-Growth private schools
-Growth segregation
Brazil
-Political outcome: laws
-Primary/ secondary educ. system remains as it is
-One HE initiative
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“..there is a situation in which you try to implement the law [law 10.639], however this implementation of the law doesn’t gain space within the government institution self. [ ] there is no internal directive within the Ministry of Education that states ‘lets create these spaces for implementation of the law.’ ”
(Source: Interview Black Movement activist/scholar)
***
“We need a respresentation model in which we have a representative, but also some kind of way to intervene directly in these institutions. [ ] Because otherwise we are left to the hands of a person that you vote for, and when he is elected he disappears. And then you are left there, without means to pressure the institutional sphere. [ ] Then you will need to organize a march, what else can you do? Surround the parliament. What else..?”
(Source: Interview Black Movement activist/scholar)9
2a. Consequences different Strategies: for Provision and Access
India
-Policies do not change
-Growth private schools
-Growth segregation
Brazil
-Political outcome: laws
-Primary/ secondary educ. system remains as it is
-One private HE initiative
10
“They asked me: ‘Why don’t you go to Pakistan?’ Then I heard myself say that I hated Muslims. I heard myself say horrible things. I was an apologetic Muslim. I realized I felt humiliated by those questions. My elder daughter started saying the same horrible things and told me she felt humiliated because of Osama bin Laden. So I decided I rather only be with Muslims and be happy. I think that when you are humiliated constantly it is easy to become a terrorist. It is better to be happy. So, let the students be confident and happy children. Let us pass on good values to them without being humiliated. We will not give them negative feelings towards others. And we will make sure that [despite the segregation] they know what’s going on in the world’
(Source: Interview principal Al Mu’minah School, Mumbai 2008) 11
2b. Consequences different Strategies:for Contents of Education
Brazil
- Laws as legal tool
- Limited structural action -BBM action:
- Creation didactic material- Teacher training
India
-State curriculum used. No concerted effort to change it.
-To counter unliked parts: oral negation by teacher and additional learning materials.
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2. Consequences different Strategies:for Contents of Education
Brazil
- Laws as legal tool
- Limited structural action -BBM action:
- Creation didactic material- Teacher training
India
-State curriculum used. No concerted effort to change it.
-To counter unliked parts: oral negation by teacher and additional learning materials.
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3. Means as an End
Brazil
- Aim: Change of curricula for inclusive quality EFA and creating support for anti-racist struggle.
- Means: political and pedagogical transformations in the education system.
- ‘End’: Introducing pluralism in the school
India
- Aim: progress Muslims students.
- Means: providing opportunity of access to quality education in an agreeable environment.
- ‘End’: realizing religious schooling environment
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“A white person, when he is educated with these values, when tomorrow he arrives at a company and becomes manager, he will not discriminate a black person, think that he is worth less, that he is inferior. Also a man that knows this Law, that knows the history of Africa, of the black community in Brazil, he will not be against quota policies on universities.”
(Source: Interview Black Movement Activists and scholar)
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3. Means as an End
Brazil
- Aim: Change of curricula for inclusive quality EFA and creating support for anti-racist struggle.
- Means: political and pedagogical transformations in the education system.
- ‘End’: Introducing pluralism in the school
India
- Aim: progress Muslims students.
- Means: providing opportunity of access to quality education in an agreeable environment.
- ‘End’: realizing religious schooling environment
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Conclusions
India
- Non-state focused strategies- Congregation of several distinct processes
- Importantly: Segregation not necessarily seen as a problem.
Brazil
- State integrated in strategy- Content transformation towards equality
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