The "Comparative Study of Globalization and Education" SIG held it organizational meeting on Thursday March 24 at the CIES Conference 2005.

Conveners: Esther Gottlieb, The Ohio State Universitygottlieb.26@osu.edu
Sangeeta Kamat, University of Massachusetts skamat@educ.umass.edu
Rosemary Preston, University of Warwick R.A.Preston@warwick.ac.uk

Why SIG
As you know CIES has embarked on establishing SIG (special interest group). All INTERESTED CIES MEMBERS are invited to join this SIG. Organizing as a SIG will allow us (depending on the number of members) to have one or more sessions on the program devoted to chosen issues. Establishing an 'interest group' provides a more intimate ongoing dialogue from year to year among the members, exchange of relevant information, peer feedback on work in progress and a closer network within the society at large.

Why 'Education' 'Globalization' 'Compare'?
The regional divisions of North/South or First World/Third World are difficult to sustain any longer, and why should we sustain this discursive practice? India, China, South Korea or Mongolian are responding very differently to agreements that affect education, from countries on the African continent for example. Some of those countries share the same concerns, yet they are negotiating global pressures and trends in different ways that may even be in opposition to one another. There is no one South or one North to speak of, in this context. The comparative study of education reform and the different ways that countries are responding to, engaging with, and seeking to address the challenges of globalization will provide valuable insights. Equally, the study of how globalization and its different impact on different countries, leading to new formations of power is no longer a question of 'are you pro or anti globalization' but about the kind of knowledge comparative education experts are using. This knowledge is being produced in reform and planning reports, in consultancies to Miniseries of Education, in research and in teaching the next cadre of education experts. We would like to explore these and other topics with colleagues from different countries and educational milieux.

If you are interested in joining please e-mail Gottlieb.26@osu.edu