ABSTRACT
The title of this chapter may well initially bemuse the reader as it did the author, who confesses as a philosopher to feeling somewhat suspicious of the highly generalized terminology which is often used to discuss the kinds of issue which are the concern of this book. Philosophical antennae are likely to be alerted by the liberal use of such concepts as ‘international awareness’, ‘world citizenship’ and ‘global education’, and one’s first reaction on encountering such conceptual low-pressure areas is to run for cover to some Socratic haven where it may be possible to reflect at leisure upon that fundamental and often irritating question, ‘What do we mean by this?’ Educational problems are frequently created not by lack of ‘resources’, nor by political machinations, nor even by administrative ineptitude, but by confusions of language, and many of these problems can be resolved or dissolved by attending more closely to the terms in which they are formulated. No apologies are offered, therefore, for focusing upon conceptual issues in exploring the subject of this chapter.
