Description
Book SynopsisThis edited volume provides a critical discussion of globalization and transformation, considering the cultural contexts of early childhood education systems as discourses as well as concrete phenomena and ‘lived experience.’ The book focuses on theoretical explorations and critical discourses at the level of education policy (macro), the level of institutions (meso), and the level of social interactions (micro). The chapters offer a wide range of interpretative, contextualized perspectives on early childhood education as a cultural construct.
Table of Contents1. Globalization, transformation, and cultures - Theoretical notes and perspectives on reconceptualization and international comparison in Early Childhood Education and Care
2. The contribution of cultural studies to early childhood education discourses and research3. Dimensions of International Comparison in Early Childhood Education and Care - Theoretical notes4. (E)Utopia: the local, the global and the imaginary in early childhood Education5. GERM and its Effects on ECEC: Analyzing Unintended Consequences and Hidden Agendas6. A cultural-historical analysis of "Childhood" and "Early Childhood Education" in contemporary Iran7. Understanding culturally specific pedagogy and practices within Swedish Early Childhood Education and Care8. Doing Ethnicity? The representation and negotiation of cultures in ECEC as an unexplained research task9. Peer Culture and Mealtimes with Toddlers in a Child Care Context: "Put your bowls on the table. It's not a toy"10. "We do not make angels here" Secularism in Norwegian kindergartens11. A social justice perspective in early childhood teacher education12. "After lunch we offer quiet time and meditation" Early Learning Environments in Australia and Finland Through the Lenses of Educators13. Teachers' Involvement in Their Designed Play Activities in a Chinese Context14. Professionalization and change - recognition of qualifications, educational processes and competencies in Germany
