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Tertium Comparationis, Vol. 8 (2002), No. 2

Editors: Hans-Joachim Roth, Norbert Wenning

Contents

Marianne Krüger-Potratz und Helma Lutz

Sitting at a crossroads – rekonstruktive und systematische Überlegungen zum wissenschaftlichen Umgang mit Differenzen

This paper deals with recent discussions among educationalists on the topic of inequality. Today, a number of different forms of inequality are debated on under the heading of "difference". These do not only concern social inequality, but also include a number of other topics: culture, nationality, ethnicity, sex/gender, age/generation, class, race, language, religion, physical and mental health, city/country, North/South. The two authors reveal the main current discussions on inequality by using two of these "lines of difference" – sex/gender and culture – as examples. They claim that studies connecting various lines of difference raise problems of research methodology and that just a few educationalists are really able to combine these lines in a fruitful way. The authors point out that on the one hand it is both dangerous and complicated to "sit at a crossroads" and look for different structures of "traffic". However they conclude that on the other hand this is just the method needed when wishing to find out how the many different structures concerning society and individuals are being produced and reproduced within the educational system.

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Georg Auernheimer

Kultur, Lebenswelt, Diskurs – drei konkurrierende Konzepte

The proper use of the term "Kultur" (culture) is disputed within multicultural and antiracist education for a long time. This paper raises the question whether "Lebenswelt" (world of life) and "Diskurs" (discourse) are more suitable terms. As a result of his findings the author proposes to use the term "Kultur" in a theoretical and discursive way. Still, the terms of "Diskurs" and "Kultur" are not to be equated and methodological difficulties that arise on the basis of such conceptualisation may not be ignored.

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Paul Mecheril

Natio-kulturelle Mitgliedschaft – ein Begriff und die Methode seiner Generierung

This paper claims with reference to the 'Grounded Theory' that empiric research does not only offer the opportunity to scrutinise theories, but that it is also useful for the formation and development of new terms and theories on the basis of empiric findings. The paper focuses on elaborating the term "natio-ethnic-cultural" membership. The ideal of an "unquestionable" membership serves as an example to reveal the special conditions migrants are in.

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Ulrich Baumann

"Nation" und "Kultur" in empirischen Arbeiten zur International und Interkulturell Vergleichenden Erziehungswissenschaft – eine Annäherung via Datenbanken

Starting point for this analysis is the fusion of three subdivisions ("Kommissionen") of the German Educational Research Association ("Deutsche Gesellschaft für Erziehungswissenschaft") that leads to the new head division of Comparative and Multicultural Education ("International und Interkulturell Vergleichende Erziehungswissenschaft"). The author aims at revealing the standing and functions the components "international", "interkulturell" and "national" have in research literature by analysing the most important databanks of educational and social science literature. The usage of the term "kulturell" (cultural) serves as a crucial example to show how indefinite and variable such a concept is applied in educational science.

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Ludwig Liegle

Weltsystemansatz und Vergleichende Erziehungswissenschaft – Versuch einer Verhältnisbestimmung und deren Erprobung an Beispielen

A "world system of education" does not yet exist. It is a construct. Nevertheless a global perspective has a long tradition in Comparative Education. Recently this educational section referred for example to the "world system" approach of Wallerstein et al. This paper discusses the chances and problems of such an approach and reveals on the basis of two examples that a "world system" as a point of reference needs to accompany the analysis of national systems. The surface of each educational system with its structures and functions points to "universalisation" and globalisation. The inner structures that extend from the educational aims via the teachers' roles up to the schools' climates point to cultural diversity. Both outside and inside do not exclude one another. Instead, they complement each other.

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Gregor Lang-Wojtasik

Bildungsforschung im Nord-Süd-Kontext – Probleme und Forschungsimplikationen

Ethnographic Educational Research uses methods of empirical sociological research and this way implicitly requires a common cultural, social, and economical framework regarding the subjects and 'objects' of research. On this basis this branch of educational research is expected to follow the scientific standards of validity and reliability as well as the lines of ethical legitimate research. At this point it is possible that ethnographic research in a context of North-South-inequalities touches unforeseen problems. The author reflects this case by describing three examples of ethnographic educational research in Mozambique and India. In search of constructive perspectives, the author outlines three interdependent aspects of an innovative sketch: co-operation and equality, reflection and transparency, bricolage and triangulation.

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Susanne Horstmann

Essenz oder Konstrukt? Zur Tauglichkeit des Kulturbegriffs in der Analyse von Unterrichtskommunikation

Everybody can imagine what "culture" is. It is a common term. Within the normal everyday use culture has a certain meaning and no changing aspects, it is static. By analyzing two scenes of educational situations in a German primary school the author shows that culture is a construction which is actively "produced" in social discourse. The examination of how the communication partners deal with the difference and strangeness in these circumstances points out that fixed central concepts are communicated, some open, and some in a hidden way. During this communication process it is possible that communication partners refer to different central concepts that contradict each other. Because the transitions from one central idea to another is ambivalent, it is possible that in the beginning of a communication situation a central idea is used which contradicts another one used at the end. This way, "nets of significance" are woven, which construct what is then called culture.

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