ABSTRACT
Social studies as a school subject was a Western invention of the twentieth century. It sought to move the school curriculum away from its elitist structures and create an interdisciplinary or issues-based curriculum relevant to the needs of students in a modern industrial society. There are elements of this approach to social studies education in South and South East Asian countries, but it is by no means the dominant approach. In these Asian contexts, social studies education is best seen as a post-colonial construction designed to support the nation building that was seen to be essential for newly independent countries. In places, globalisation has added a new dimension for the social studies but rarely does it replace nation-building approaches. Overlaying this approach is a strong commitment to religious and moral education that provides a distinctive difference from secularised forms of social education outside of the region.Social studies as a school subject was a Western invention of the twentieth century. It sought to move the school curriculum away from its elitist structures and create an interdisciplinary or issues-based curriculum relevant to the needs of students in a modern industrial society. There are elements of this approach to social studies education in South and South East Asian countries, but it is by no means the dominant approach. In these Asian contexts, social studies education is best seen as a post-colonial construction designed to support the nation building that was seen to be essential for newly independent countries. In places, globalisation has added a new dimension for the social studies but rarely does it replace nation-building approaches. Overlaying this approach is a strong commitment to religious and moral education that provides a distinctive difference from secularised forms of social education outside of the region.Social studies as a school subject was a Western invention of the twentieth century. It sought to move the school curriculum away from its elitist structures and create an interdisciplinary or issues-based curriculum relevant to the needs of students in a modern industrial society. There are elements of this approach to social studies education in South and South East Asian countries, but it is by no means the dominant approach. In these Asian contexts, social studies education is best seen as a post-colonial construction designed to support the nation building that was seen to be essential for newly independent countries. In places, globalisation has added a new dimension for the social studies but rarely does it replace nation-building approaches. Overlaying this approach is a strong commitment to religious and moral education that provides a distinctive difference from secularised forms of social education outside of the region.Social studies as a school subject was a Western invention of the twentieth century. It sought to move the school curriculum away from its elitist structures and create an interdisciplinary or issues-based curriculum relevant to the needs of students in a modern industrial society. There are elements of this approach to social studies education in South and South East Asian countries, but it is by no means the dominant approach. In these Asian contexts, social studies education is best seen as a post-colonial construction designed to support the nation building that was seen to be essential for newly independent countries. In places, globalisation has added a new dimension for the social studies but rarely does it replace nation-building approaches. Overlaying this approach is a strong commitment to religious and moral education that provides a distinctive difference from secularised forms of social education outside of the region.
