| Abstract: | It is argued that the field of comparative and international education must be fundamentally reconceptualised and redeveloped in ways that better demonstrate its potential to contribute to: (I) the improvement of educational policy and practice world‐wide; and (2) advances in theoretical work relating specifically to education and to the social sciences more generally. Traditional strengths of the field upon which we can build are identified, but the discussion focuses upon the nature, significance and potential of emergent trends and new possibilities. This meta‐analysis is presented to stimulate and widen discussion and to help generate further avenues for future research and development. Particular attention is given to the research orientation and potential of our multidisciplinary field; to the implications of globalisation; to the challenges of post‐modern and post‐colonial perspectives; to new frames of reference and units of analysis; to the significance of culture and context; to new forms of discourse; and to the importance of forging stronger linkages between theory and practice, insiders and outsiders and the comparative and international dimensions of our field. |
