“The Chinese filter : assimilation of Western educational theories in the early 1980s” (Publication, 1995)
Year
1995
Text
Kulander, Greg. The Chinese filter : assimilation of Western educational theories in the early 1980s. In : Cultural encounters : China, Japan, and the West : essays commemorating 25 years of East Asian studies at the University of Aarhus. Ed. by Soren Clausen, Roy Starrs, and Anne Wedell-Wedellsborg. Aarhus : Aarhus University Press, 1995. [Betr. John Dewey]. (DewJ147)
Type
Publication
Mentioned People (1)
Dewey, John
(Burlington 1859-1952 New York, N.Y.) : Philosoph, Pädagoge, Psychologe
Subjects
Philosophy : United States of America
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References / Sources
Chronology Entries (1)
| # | Year | Text | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1985 |
Zhongguo da bai ke quan shu : tian wen xue. Hu Qiaomu [et al]. [Education]. [ID D28690]. Knowledge for John Dewey was the result of inquiry utilizing the scientific method. The individual attainment of this knowledge, then, is contingent upon that person's 'active' and methodological search for it. Dewey faced a child-centered, activity-oriented process of education and considered it essential that school and society become one. In order to analyze the position of pragmatism and Dewey's education thought in the Chinese educational debate during the 1980s, several types of sources have been examined. Chinese educational journals, and monographs dealing specifically with Western educational theories. Much of what is written about pragmatism and Dewey was heavily influenced by Dewey's prominent historical role in China, and as such subject to ideological colorations that Chinese accounts of other educational theories did not suffer from. Under the entry of 'Pragmatism' in the encyclopedia, we find it described as an 'important school in Western modern capitalist educational thought'. Its central ideas are equated with those of Dewey, and most of the entry concentrates on his work. He is termed an 'idealistic empiricist' because he considered experience to be the basic unit of the world, though it remains unclear precisely why he is labeled an idealist ; his pragmatic emphasis on experience as the product of interaction between an organism and its environment and as the central criteria for knowledge make it difficult to understand this categorization. One author attempted to explain why Dewey's thought was labeled idealistic : he stated that it is because Dewey 'brings the mind into the natural system, attaching great importance to the role of knowledge and regards the result as natural evolution. The entry goes on to cite some of Dewey's most prominent contributions to educational theory, namely his criticism of Herbart's formalistic, 'teacher-centered' educational thought and consequent emphasis on developing educational techniques and materials appropriate and relevant to a child's age and experience, his re-thinking of teacher-student relations with stress being placed on cooperation rather than confrontation, and finally his radically new conception of education's role in society. The entry concludes with a brief criticism of Dewey's attack on Marx's class-struggle theory and his advocacy of the use of the 'intelligent method' to solve social problems as well. A common point made by all the authors was Dewey's close attachment not only to the United States as his homeland but also to the period of great economic and social change in which he wrote. They pointed out the importance of the immense progress made in industrialization and capital accumulation during this period as opposed to the continuing stagnancy of the educational sector. They considered Dewey's thought to be the logical reaction to this state of affairs. The schools were no longer fulfilling the needs of society (the capitalists), ergo reform was needs. Dewey's educational theories were seen as serving the interests of the ruling bourgeoisie. His emphasis on developing individuality in the child was regarded as antithetical to the nurturing of communist morality, but a necessary ingredient of a capitalist system based on mutual competition. Dewey was attacked by several of the writers for attempting to conceal class differences and thus prevent class contradictions from becoming visible through a drowning diffusion of his concept of 'democracy'. By pitting individuals against each other on the economic market, and by giving them a false sense of political power, Dewey was accused of perpetuating the capitalist system and serving the interests of the oppressing class. Another related criticism shared by the majority of the Chinese writers was that Dewey disregarded the importance of the productive forces in determining social and economic relations which in turn delimit social consciousness. Norms, values and even ideals of the people are, according to the Chinese Marxists, inescapably tied to the fundamental economic production forms of a given society. Dewey was accused of ignoring the existing socio-economic context in which education takes place, making his 'social reform' in effect unattainable. In addition his learning theories themselves were criticized for not taking into account social relations within the classroom ; these relations were called in Deweyan terms by the Chinese 'indirect experience' and were considered an important part of a child's intellectual baggage. |
Sources (1)
| # | Year | Bibliographical Data | Type / Abbreviation | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1985 |
Zhongguo da bai ke quan shu : tian wen xue. Hu Qiaomu [et al.]. (Beijing : Zhongguo da bai ke quan shu chu ban she, 1985). [Education ; enthält Eintragungen über John Dewey]. 中国大百科全书 |
Publication / DewJ213 |
Cited by (1)
| # | Year | Bibliographical Data | Type / Abbreviation | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000- | Asien-Orient-Institut Universität Zürich | Organisation / AOI |
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