Vandra Masemann – författare

This special double issue consists of a selection of papers presented at the Ninth World Congress of Comparative Education, held at the University of Sydney, Australia, in July 1996, on the theme of "Tradition, Modernity and Post-modernity in Comparative Education". Before presenting the selection, this introduction will first survey the changing discourse in comparative edu­ cation over the past few decades and will argue that an unreformulated and uncritical postmodernity holds no greater promise in comparative education, than its uncritical modernist or tradition-oriented rivals. When Nicholas Hans (1949) cited Michael Sadler's early rationale for studying comparative education, it was within the context of a work which sought to identify the traditions that underlay national educational systems. This early work, together with others such as that by Isaac Kandel (1930) was predicated on the assumption of the importance of national character, of which education systems were an important component. Indeed from this perspective, the purpose of comparative education was not merely to analyse the "forces and factors" which produced differences among educational systems, but, implicitly at least, also "to discover the underlying principles which govern the development of all national systems of education" (Hans 1949: 5). Hans was preeminently an historian, of course (as was Kandel to an extent), and therefore saw comparative education first and foremost in this light.

distinction Masters student at the University of Hong Kong, who then proceeded to her doctoral studies under the supervision of Mark Bray and myself. Her d- toral research field is closely linked to the subject of this book. The book also benefits greatly from the distinguished authorship of the - dividual chapters. The section on the WCCES itself has been written by former Presidents, some of whom have also had links with the University of Hong Kong either as visitors or, in one case (Anne Hickling-Hudson), as a Commonwealth Scholar. Most of the chapters on the individual societies have been written by Past Presidents of those societies, all distinguished figures in the field th- selves. The book shows that it is possible to talk of a global field of comparative education, of which one manifestation is the WCCES itself. At the same time, the emphases of the field are very different in, say, China, South Africa and France. These are among the factors that make the field so interesting and p- ductive. CERC is proud to make its own contribution to the field in multiple ways, including through the publication of this book. Mark Mason Editor CERC Studies in Comparative Education Series Director Comparative Education Research Centre The University of Hong Kong Introduction Mark BRAY, Maria MANZON & Vandra MASEMANN

distinction Masters student at the University of Hong Kong, who then proceeded to her doctoral studies under the supervision of Mark Bray and myself. Her d- toral research field is closely linked to the subject of this book. The book also benefits greatly from the distinguished authorship of the - dividual chapters. The section on the WCCES itself has been written by former Presidents, some of whom have also had links with the University of Hong Kong either as visitors or, in one case (Anne Hickling-Hudson), as a Commonwealth Scholar. Most of the chapters on the individual societies have been written by Past Presidents of those societies, all distinguished figures in the field th- selves. The book shows that it is possible to talk of a global field of comparative education, of which one manifestation is the WCCES itself. At the same time, the emphases of the field are very different in, say, China, South Africa and France. These are among the factors that make the field so interesting and p- ductive. CERC is proud to make its own contribution to the field in multiple ways, including through the publication of this book. Mark Mason Editor CERC Studies in Comparative Education Series Director Comparative Education Research Centre The University of Hong Kong Introduction Mark BRAY, Maria MANZON & Vandra MASEMANN