ABSTRACT
World culture theory offers a compelling—yet contentious—perspective on schooling around the world: the notion that different national educational systems originate from a common source and converge towards similar trajectories over time. This volume critically engages with world culture theory on two fronts: (1) that the harmonization of education policy around the globe may seem isomorphic at the first glance but conceals culturally idiosyncratic adaptations and negotiations; and (2) that the assumed linear progression “from national to global” is misleading, for educational globalization often moves in multiple directions and is deeply intertwined with the cultural history of a nation. Taking up this volume’s critical framework, this chapter historicizes the Chinese educational encounter with the “West” to rethink the situated meanings of globalization beyond the conventional lenses of isomorphism and divergence.
