Educational Systems Comparison Essay by Bourdieu

Educational Systems
A comparative review of the educational systems of Cuba, South Africa and Sudan.
# 109593 | 3,954 words | 13 sources | APA | 2008
Published on Dec 03, 2008 in Education (Curriculum)


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Description:

This paper queries the sustainability of the educational methods of Cuba, South Africa and Sudan in terms of creating egalitarian and socially equal societies that empower the masses. Furthermore,the paper continues with Anders Breidlid's ideas about Cuba saying that "The social capital injected into communities over generations has paved the way for the possession of cultural capital, not only for a small elite, but for the majority of the population." The paper further discusses this in conjunction with Carnoy's concept of "state-generated social capital" in Cuba and compares them to South Africa's ideological educational system as seen by the declarations of its curriculum and Sudan's education system being Islamic. Pertinent questions are raised and discussed by the paper. The paper further asks whether the Cuban model is replicable without an authoritarian, coercive environment to ensure its success.

Outline:
Introduction
A Mechanistic Vs. an Ecological Approach to Sustainable Education
Cuba's Educational Discourse and Equality
The Educational Discourse of South Africa's C2005
State-generated Social Capital in Levelling the Field
Language in Education in South Africa
Sudan's Islamic Educational Discourse
Education Towards a Theocracy?
Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses in Sudan
The Discourse of Inclusion/Exclusion, Gender and Sustainability
Critiquing Cuba's Paternalistic Educational Discourse
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Civil society is now questioning the revolution's legitimacy in providing access to knowledge. For instance, the Biblioteca Independiente Felix Varela was established by Mexidor and her husband Ramon Castillo with the aim of providing other sources of information and knowledge other than that promoted by the government through voluntary donations. Within a year, 13 such independent libraries operated in the island. However, they were soon subjected to government harassment and persecution to the extent that the couple had to seek asylum abroad in 2001 (Cruz-Taura 2003: Online). With reference to Sterling's (2001) table above, Cuba's educational ethos is clearly a mechanistic one of manipulation, control and dependence with a centralized power-base hierarchy that aims at standardization and homogeneity. "

Sample of Sources Used:

  • Anderson, J.L. (1997). Che Guevara - A revolutionary life. Bantham Press, London.
  • Breidlid, A. (2003). "Ideology, cultural values and education: The case of Curriculum 2005". Perspectives in Education, Vol. 21, No 3, 83-104.
  • Breidlid, A. (2004). Sustainable Development, Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Education in South Africa. Journal of Teacher Education and Training, Vol 4, 3-19.
  • Breidlid, A. (2005). Sudanese migrants in the Khartoum area: fighting for educational space. International Journal of Educational Development, 25, 253-268.
  • Breidlid, A. (2007).Education in Cuba - an alternative educational discourse? Unpublished paper.

Cite this Comparison Essay:

APA Format

Educational Systems (2008, December 03) Retrieved June 04, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/comparison-essay/educational-systems-109593/

MLA Format

"Educational Systems" 03 December 2008. Web. 04 June. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/comparison-essay/educational-systems-109593/>

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