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Humanist But Not Radical: The Educational Philosophy Of Thiruvalluvar Kural, Devin K. Joshi Mar 2021

Humanist But Not Radical: The Educational Philosophy Of Thiruvalluvar Kural, Devin K. Joshi

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Humanist ideas in education have been promoted by both Western thinkers and classical wisdom texts of Asia. Exploring this connection, I examine the educational philosophy of an iconic ancient Tamil (Indian) text, the Thiruvalluvar Kural, by juxtaposing it with a contemporary humanist classic, Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. As this comparative study reveals, both texts offer humanist visions of relevance to education, politics, and society. Notably, however, the Kural takes what might be described as a more mainstream humanist stance vis-à-vis Freire’s radical humanist approach. Nevertheless, both educational philosophies share a common humanist bond representing important breakthroughs within their …


From Women’S Learning (Fuxue) To Gender Studies: Feminist Challenges To Modern Confucianism, Sor-Hoon Tan Mar 2021

From Women’S Learning (Fuxue) To Gender Studies: Feminist Challenges To Modern Confucianism, Sor-Hoon Tan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The promotion of Confucianism to offer solutions to contemporary problems, better alternatives to the patently unsatisfactory status quo of our world and the tired ideals that have dominated academic and global discourses, should not be mistaken for naïve traditionalism advocating the revival of Confucianism as it was understood and practiced in its historical milieu. This is especially pertinent in the area of gender relations. Chenyang Li pointed out nearly two decades ago: as “the philosophical-religious tradition that originated in Confucius and was further developed by scholars and supporters of later times … there is little doubt that the answer to …


Humanist But Not Radical: The Educational Philosophy Of Thiruvalluvar Kural, Devin K. Joshi Jan 2021

Humanist But Not Radical: The Educational Philosophy Of Thiruvalluvar Kural, Devin K. Joshi

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Humanist ideas in education have been promoted by both Western thinkers and classical wisdom texts of Asia. Exploring this connection, I examine the educational philosophy of an iconic ancient Tamil (Indian) text, the Thiruvalluvar Kural, by juxtaposing it with a contemporary humanist classic, Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. As this comparative study reveals, both texts offer humanist visions of relevance to education, politics, and society. Notably, however, the Kural takes what might be described as a more mainstream humanist stance vis-à-vis Freire’s radical humanist approach. Nevertheless, both educational philosophies share a common humanist bond representing important breakthroughs …