Chinese Conceptions of Democratic Education

Ethnographic Insights and Classroom Practice

Wenchao Zhang

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN: 9781032591704
• eBook ISBN: 9781040046418
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Civics & Citizenship

This book draws on a rich ethnographic study to examine Chinese democracy and its practices in democratic education.

As the first book to interrogate practices of democratic education from an insider perspective, it offers a unique model of Chinese democratic education based in school practices. It illuminates connections between the school practices of Chinese democratic education, the Chinese democratic system and the effects of globalizations. As such, it analyses the particular ways in which educators can and must balance global needs and local cultures. Ultimately arguing that comprehension of Chinese democracy and its educational practices should take root in the specific social and cultural context in which it was developed, it advocates that a more comprehensive understanding of democracy and democratic education can be achieved. Building on this premise, it outlines ways to guide enhanced critical analysis and cultivate mutual cultural respect, thereby contributing to the pursuit of a more peaceful world. Drawing on rich and detailed narratives, dialogue, observation, and reflexivity, the author successfully situates the Chinese experience within a global landscape and challenges the mainstream understanding of democracy on the global stage.

Promoting tolerance of other cultures and opening up new ways of thinking from a globally diverse perspective, it will appeal to researchers, postgraduate students and educators with interests in global citizenship education, social studies education, democracy, and international education.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title page
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgement
• 1 The Construction of Chinese Democracy: From Theory to Practice
• 2 Influential Theories and Practical Attempts on Chinese Democratic Education
• 3 School Introduction
• 4 Democratic Learning Spaces with “Chinese Characteristics”
• 5 Democratic Centralism: Control of the Sphere of Participation
• 6 “Warm Environments”: Cultivation of Reciprocal Relationships
• 7 Possibilities of Reinventing School Rules to Enhance Participation and Freedom
• 8 Diversifying Assessment to Ease High-Stakes Testing Pressures
• 9 Conclusion: An Alternative Path of Democratic Education in China
• Index