Globalization, knowledge, skills and development: possible new directions for international and comparative education research in Southern Africa

Issues of globalization, knowledge, skills and development have become central to educational debates internationally during the past 15 years. Both policymakers and researchers have stressed the ways in which certain skills and knowledges have become central to economic growth, competitiveness, employability and social inclusion as the forces of globalization change the policy terrain. However, these debates have been relatively neglected in research terms in Southern Africa. This paper argues a case for broadening the focus of Southern African educational research by suggesting three main directions in which international and comparative educationalists in Southern Africa might usefully look in further developing their field: looking beyond schools, beyond education; and beyond national boundaries. However, identifying new research areas and motivating for them is not enough. Mindful that there are complex reasons for the limited development of Southern African research in these areas, it is necessary also to look inwardly at the political economy of knowledge production in international and comparative education in Southern Africa as a means of developing realistic strategies for moving forwards and outwards.
From: SARE with EWP, Vol. 12 no. 2 (2006), pp. 61-79