Title: The Diremptive/Redemptive Project: Postmodern Reflections on Culture and Knowledge in International Academic Relations
Abstract:In his extensive study of notions of development and Third World, Worsley suggests that the concept of culture has been virtually ignored by those social scientists who reduce study of society to poli...In his extensive study of notions of development and Third World, Worsley suggests that the concept of culture has been virtually ignored by those social scientists who reduce study of society to political economy or study of social structure. 'M If this is a major shortcoming of sociological and political economic studies, it is clearly an even greater one, indeed a dangerous and unacceptable lacuna, in issues concerning international academic relations. Although a growing body of writing discusses issues of economic and cultural dependency between First and Third World countries, most of it fails to come to any rigorous conceptualization of culture and knowledge, leaving them unanalyzed as mere items of export. This paper is an attempt to overcome these shortcomings by demonstrating how differing understandings of nature of culture and knowledge carry varied implications for implementation of any educational project. By looking critically at conservative, liberal, Marxist, and social scientific positions on these issues, I shall try to show inadequacies of each of these positions, before arguing that a postmodern understanding of problematic provides most workable framework for conceptualizing interrelationships of culture, knowledge, and power. Postmodernism is a polymorphous concept embracing a range of discourses on disparate fields,2 and its fragmentary nature and appeal to liberal academics may even lead to its appropriation for reactionary ends. However, I hope to show that what I have chosen to term a postmodern diremptive/redemptive project holds promise for radical ♦Modern Language Center, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The author would like to thank Ruth Hayhoe for her considerable influence on this paper; and Henry Giroux, Arleen Schenke, and Roger Simon for some timely and critical comments.Read More
Publication Year: 1990
Publication Date: 1990-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 8
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