声像构造：文化意义与精神消解

在现代化和全球化的过程中,声像构造成为现代社会最为突出的文化景观。声像构造不仅具有物质意义,更具有重要的文化意义。声像文化对于语言文化的支配地位已经确立,正在成为现代社会的主导文化。声像构造的大量复制导致声像产品的平庸化、平面化、泡沫化,对人们的精神和主体性都存在着严重的消解。在声像构造膨胀的浪潮中,人的主体性的回归成为现代社会重要的课题。     

Healing trauma and spiritual growth: the relevance of religious education to emotionally and behaviourally disturbed children looked after by local authorities

In this article, Maria Poyser looks at the relevance of religious education (RE) to looked‐after young people who have been labelled emotionally and behaviourally disturbed (EBD). She begins by painting an overall picture of the education of looked‐after young people and examines the concept of what being ‘looked after’ means. The article highlights the problem of a disproportionate number of looked‐after young people ending up in special schools catering for EBD children and challenges schools to look at ways of preventing this. It poses the question: are these children emotionally and behaviourally disturbed or in fact the victims of post‐traumatic stress disorder (PSTD)? The writer goes on to examine the fact that trauma does not have to be a life sentence. It has the potential to be one of the most significant forces for psychological, social and spiritual awakening and evolution.     

Girls' and boys' reasoning on cultural and religious practices: a human rights education perspective

Human rights play a vital role in citizens' political, religious and cultural life (Wang 2002, 171). Due to the prominence of human rights in the everyday life of citizens, including those of South Africa, human rights education has been included in many school curricula. Human rights education aims to develop responsible citizens who inter alia foster an understanding of gender, ethnical, religious and cultural diversities. This, it is hoped will encourage and maintain peace, as outlined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Departing from a human rights position, a qualitative study commenced in 2009 to explore how girls and boys reason about the cultural and religious practices of girls in their communities and families. Narratives by girls and boys highlighted their views on girls' positioning in their specific communities. From the findings it became evident that the participants were aware of conforming to particular cultural and religious practices. However, some participants also challenged how they perceived these practices and the roles of girls in their communities. The article highlights the necessity of embarking on a gendered perspective towards human rights education.     

Building positive relationships with Indigenous children,families and communities: learning at the cultural interface

Drawing on the work of Martin Nakata, this paper brings into focus the everyday complexities involved in the cultural interfaces that educators, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, negotiate in order to promote children’s engagement with formal education processes. Analysis of emergent data from a recent evaluation of a preschool education programme operating in 35 rural and remote Indigenous communities in Queensland, Australia, revealed that educators struggle to situate their own knowledge and experiences in relation to the knowledge and experiences of others in both the educational and cultural contexts in which they work. A series of composite vignettes reporting the experiences of early childhood educators across these communities is used to examine the pedagogical opportunities available to educators when they are able to recognise the value of the knowledge and experience of all those involved in a child’s educational success.