In the knowledge era, indeed, the struggle is between knowledge that is both resource and product in a world of fast capitalism and knowledge as mutual engagement in processes of shared critical social construction, and thus, more culturally inclusive and socially productive. The former has been taken for granted since the aftermath of the Second World War, but is now facing serious criticisms for its avaricious market approach. Today, the idea of knowledge as an economic product, commodified, for sale on a global market, is no longer palatable. Key to a very recent philosophical shift towards another model is the emergence of global knowledge cultures. The main phenomena that globalised societies face today emerge from the issues raised around redefinitions of the nature of education; mobilities involving the internal and external movement of workers, students, teachers, researchers, tourists, business people, volunteers and people in general; as well as efforts to change the world towards a more democratic, socially responsible, culturally sensitive model, as taken up by the contributors to this book.
The purpose of this book is to assure that you/we all participate in the global conversation about knowledge, its meanings, uses and possibilities. In this light, it is vitally important to understand how knowledge is created, what it means to know, how it is shared, to whose benefit and why. Several primary questions arise:
What is the role of education in human well-being? What does knowledge making entail? How do contemporary knowledge constructions respond to prevailing social contexts? Why is it important for learning prospects to respond or not to today’s globalizing political and economic contexts? These dimensions and questions of knowledge are critical to the future of educational policy and provision, and ultimately to the quality of human life, as the locations and practices of knowledge are more complex than ever.