1 EDM 6210 Education Policy and Society EDM 6210 Education Policy and Society Lecture 13 Education Policy and Globalization: Globalization & the Debate.

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EDM 6210EDM 6210

Education Policy and SocietyEducation Policy and Society

Lecture 13

Education Policy and Globalization:

Globalization & the Debate on

the Death of Citizenship

Wing-kwong TsangWing-kwong Tsang

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The Death/End of Citizenship ThesisThe Death/End of Citizenship Thesis

• Philip Wexler Philip Wexler proposes in an article entitled proposes in an article entitled Citizenship in the Semiotic SocietyCitizenship in the Semiotic Society that “I set out, in that “I set out, in true postmodernist fashion, to underline this death of true postmodernist fashion, to underline this death of citizenship.” (Wexler, 1990, p. 165) He argues thatcitizenship.” (Wexler, 1990, p. 165) He argues that – ““Citizenship is built on Citizenship is built on rationalityrationality and and solidaritysolidarity.” (Wexler, .” (Wexler,

1990, 164)1990, 164)• The Enlightenment: The rationality basis of citizenshipThe Enlightenment: The rationality basis of citizenship

• The democratic nation-state: The solidarity basis of citizenshipThe democratic nation-state: The solidarity basis of citizenship

– The erosion of the bases of citizenshipThe erosion of the bases of citizenship• The advent of the The advent of the semiotic/informational society semiotic/informational society and the erosion and the erosion

of the rationality basis of citizenshipof the rationality basis of citizenship

• The advent of the The advent of the global-informational polity global-informational polity and the erosion of and the erosion of the solidarity of basis of citizenshipthe solidarity of basis of citizenship

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The Death/End of Citizenship ThesisThe Death/End of Citizenship Thesis

• Mike Bottery in an article entitled The End of Citizenship? The Nation State, Threats to Legitimacy, and Citizenship in the Twenty-first Century underlines that the centuries-long political construct of citizenship is under threats to become deconstructed. These threats include (2003, p. 101)– The social citizenship critique; – Economic globalization and ensuing ‘mean and lean’

developments;– Political globalization and supernational developments;– Consequent sub-national reactions; – The rise of ‘citizen consumers’.

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Erosion of Rationality of Citizenship:Erosion of Rationality of Citizenship: The The Rise of the Semiotic/Informational SocietyRise of the Semiotic/Informational Society

• The semiotic societyThe semiotic society:: A society is called “a A society is called “a semiotic society semiotic society because both because both

the social organization of life and its representation are the social organization of life and its representation are emerging together. …The change in social organization emerging together. …The change in social organization is what we know as postindustrialism or, more recently, is what we know as postindustrialism or, more recently, informationalism. ..It is a change in organizational informationalism. ..It is a change in organizational forms, in mode of communication as well as in forms, in mode of communication as well as in distribution and production. …The product and artifact distribution and production. …The product and artifact is quickly coded as a sign or image that gives it is quickly coded as a sign or image that gives it distributional value. This value is what energizes the distributional value. This value is what energizes the investment of resources for re-production. Signs and investment of resources for re-production. Signs and symbols are the necessary value added to any symbols are the necessary value added to any traditional production process.” (Wexler, 1990, p. 166)traditional production process.” (Wexler, 1990, p. 166)

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• SemioticsSemiotics, also called semiotic studies or semiology, , also called semiotic studies or semiology, is the is the study of sign processes study of sign processes (semiosis), or (semiosis), or signification and communication, signs and symbols, signification and communication, signs and symbols, both individually and grouped into sign systems. It both individually and grouped into sign systems. It includes the study of how meaning is constructed includes the study of how meaning is constructed and understood.and understood.

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– The integration of mass production, mass consumption The integration of mass production, mass consumption and mass communication: and mass communication:

• Mass consumptionMass consumption has replaced mass production to be has replaced mass production to be the driving and sustaining forces of growth in post-WWII the driving and sustaining forces of growth in post-WWII capitalism.capitalism.

• The mass communicationThe mass communication has in turn replaced mass has in turn replaced mass consumption to be the core of wealth accumulation since consumption to be the core of wealth accumulation since the 1970s. the 1970s.

• As a result, the As a result, the process of commodificationprocess of commodification has has integrated with the integrated with the process of significationprocess of signification, in other , in other words, the exchange value have emerged with the words, the exchange value have emerged with the value of value of signsign, to be the motor of growth in late capitalism., to be the motor of growth in late capitalism.

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• The cultural logic of late capitalism: The The cultural logic of late capitalism: The commodification of culturecommodification of culture

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• The cultural logic of late capitalism: The The cultural logic of late capitalism: The commodification of culturecommodification of culture– The The use valueuse value of of cultural productscultural products: Communicative values : Communicative values

and meaningfulnessand meaningfulness– The The exchange valueexchange value of of cultural productscultural products: Marketability and : Marketability and

saleability of cultural products saleability of cultural products – Reifying cultural meaningfulnessReifying cultural meaningfulness embedded in cultural embedded in cultural

products into cultural commodities and regressing culture products into cultural commodities and regressing culture production and creation into production and creation into cultural industriescultural industries and cultural and cultural mass-production mass-production

– Culture of Culture of signifiers of “referent depth”signifiers of “referent depth” was replaced by self- was replaced by self-referencing and free-floating signifiers, information, data, referencing and free-floating signifiers, information, data, icon….icon….

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• The cultural logic of late capitalism: The The cultural logic of late capitalism: The commodification of culturecommodification of culture– Empirically and objectively existing reality replaced by Empirically and objectively existing reality replaced by hyper-hyper-

realityreality and and virtual realityvirtual reality– The proliferation of simulacra and the coming of the The proliferation of simulacra and the coming of the culture of culture of

simulacrasimulacra

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• The cultural logic of late capitalism: The The cultural logic of late capitalism: The commodification of culturecommodification of culture– Empirically and objectively existing reality replaced by hyper-Empirically and objectively existing reality replaced by hyper-

reality and virtual realityreality and virtual reality– The proliferation of simulacra and the coming of the culture of The proliferation of simulacra and the coming of the culture of

simulacrasimulacra– The culture of heritage and tradition was replaced by The culture of heritage and tradition was replaced by culture culture

of pastiche and hybridof pastiche and hybrid– The The culture of placesculture of places was first commodified as property- was first commodified as property-

development projects and then re-commodified as the culture development projects and then re-commodified as the culture of flow, of global icon, theme park, etc.of flow, of global icon, theme park, etc.

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• From semiotic society to From semiotic society to attention economyattention economy– As As computer mediated communication has replace television computer mediated communication has replace television

toto become the dominant tools in the become the dominant tools in the informational ageinformational age, the , the process of signification has practically surpassed the process of signification has practically surpassed the process of production to become the most vital stage in the process of production to become the most vital stage in the commodification process in late capitalism. commodification process in late capitalism.

– To To gain the attentions of consumers in the “information-rich gain the attentions of consumers in the “information-rich world”world” has become the vital strategy in the commodification has become the vital strategy in the commodification process. Moreover, attention has become the most valuable process. Moreover, attention has become the most valuable and scarce resources in the attention economy. and scarce resources in the attention economy.

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• From semiotic society to attention economyFrom semiotic society to attention economy– Herbert SimonHerbert Simon, Noble laureate in economics (1978) underlined , Noble laureate in economics (1978) underlined

in 1970 thatin 1970 that

“ “In an information-rich world, the wealth of information means In an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. What information consumes is rather information consumes. What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume overabundance of information sources that might consume it.” (Simon, 1971, Pp. 40-41)it.” (Simon, 1971, Pp. 40-41)

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• The political consequences of the advent of the The political consequences of the advent of the semiotic societysemiotic society– Timothy Luke’s thesis of Timothy Luke’s thesis of informational politicsinformational politics

• Luke underlines that Luke underlines that electoral politicselectoral politics has degraded into a has degraded into a “spectacular” system and rational civil society has “spectacular” system and rational civil society has relegated to "society based on sign-circulation.” relegated to "society based on sign-circulation.”

• ““Election, in fact…are now Election, in fact…are now commodified and packaged commodified and packaged modes of democracymodes of democracy; the exclusive signifier of democratic ; the exclusive signifier of democratic practice. …practice. …CitizenshipCitizenship is now like being a fan, who votes is now like being a fan, who votes favorably for media products by purchasing them, favorably for media products by purchasing them, extolling their virtues, or wearing their iconic packaging extolling their virtues, or wearing their iconic packaging on one’s bill cap or tee shirt.” (Luke, 1986-87, p. 72 Quoted on one’s bill cap or tee shirt.” (Luke, 1986-87, p. 72 Quoted in Wexler, 1990, p. 168)in Wexler, 1990, p. 168)

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• The political consequences of the advent of the The political consequences of the advent of the semiotic societysemiotic society– Jean Baudrillard’s thesis of “Jean Baudrillard’s thesis of “The End of SocialThe End of Social” ”

• Under the proliferation of mass communication and mass Under the proliferation of mass communication and mass media, media, society becomessociety becomes “a random gravitational field, “a random gravitational field, magnetised by the constant circulation and the thousands magnetised by the constant circulation and the thousands of tactical combinations which electrify them.” of tactical combinations which electrify them.” (Baudrillard, 1983, p. 83; quoted in Wexler, 1990, p. 169) (Baudrillard, 1983, p. 83; quoted in Wexler, 1990, p. 169)

• As a result, “‘the rational sociality of the As a result, “‘the rational sociality of the contractcontract…gives …gives way to the way to the sociality of contactsociality of contact.’ .’ Culture absorbs societyCulture absorbs society. . The medium is the message. The simularcrum──signs and The medium is the message. The simularcrum──signs and images, culture commodified──takes over social life images, culture commodified──takes over social life (Baudrillard, 1983, p. 84; quoted in Wexler, 1990, p. 169)(Baudrillard, 1983, p. 84; quoted in Wexler, 1990, p. 169)

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• The political consequences of the advent of the The political consequences of the advent of the semiotic societysemiotic society– Jurgen Habermas’ thesis Jurgen Habermas’ thesis degradation of the public degradation of the public

spheresphere (Habermas, 1989) (Habermas, 1989)• The commerialization of mass media and the emergence The commerialization of mass media and the emergence

of the trade of public relation gave rise to the business of of the trade of public relation gave rise to the business of public-opinion engineering and public-consent public-opinion engineering and public-consent manufacturingmanufacturing

• The principle of “publicity” gave way to principle of The principle of “publicity” gave way to principle of manufactured and staged publicitymanufactured and staged publicity

• Political leaders has been relegated to become Political leaders has been relegated to become commodified and packaged celebrities of politics by Spin commodified and packaged celebrities of politics by Spin Doctors and image consultantsDoctors and image consultants

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The Erosion of Solidarity of Citizenship I: The Advent of the Empire

• The rise of the Empire: A Historical Account

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• The rise of the Empire: A Historical Account – The constitution of the United Nations in 1945– The constitution of the bipolar world system between the “Free

World” and the “Communist Bloc” in the cold war era• International Monetary and Financial Conference was held in

Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, July 1944

• International Monetary Fund (IMF) held its inaugural meeting in 1946

• World Bank formally began operations in 1946

• General Agreement for Trade and Tariff (GATT) was established in 1948. In 1995, it transformed to World Trade Organization (WTO)

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was established in 1950

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• The rise of the Empire: A Historical Account – The emergence of the “Third World” and the tri-polar world

system in the 1970s– The first meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum

Exporting Countries (OPEC) was held in 1960. The oil crisis in the 1970s triggered by the Arab oil embargo in 1973 and the outbreak of the Iranian Revolution in 1979.

– The liberalization of the authoritarian regimes among socialist states in the 1980s

– The rise of neo-liberalism in the US and UK in the 1980s

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• The rise of the Empire: A Historical Account – The collapses of the soviet bloc in 1989– The US’s “just wars” in the 1990s

• The first Gulf War in 1990-91

• The second Gulf War in 2003

– The constitution of the Capitalist Empire in the 21st century

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• The Nature of the Empire of the 21st century– “Empire refers to a new form of sovereignty that has

succeeded the sovereignty of the nation-state, an unlimited form of sovereignty that knows no boundaries or, rather, knows only flexible, mobile boundaries.” (Hardt and Negri, 2003, p. 109)

– The constitution of the Empire has embodied three classic forms of government: monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy

• Monarchical constituents: the US Government and in particular the Pentagon, the WTO, the World Bank, and the IMF.

• Aristocratic constituents: the G8, the Security Council of the UN, and major transnational corporations

• Democratic constituents: General Assembly of the UN and various forms of Non-Government Organization (NGO)

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The Erosion of Solidarity of Citizenship II: Challenges to the Cultural-Spatial Bases of Nation-State

• Spatial based communities confined within borders of nation-state have been replaced by communities of global-mobile capitalists, employees in multinational corporations, internationally organized professional associations, and even flows of migrant workers (both legal and illegal)

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The Erosion of Solidarity of Citizenship II: …

• Compression of time and space by global-informational paradigm has asserted growing pressure on the legitimation basis of historical-cultural based national community. It has also given rise to what Anthony Giddens called post-traditional society.

“A post-tradition social order…is not one in which tradition disappears - far from it. It is one in which tradition changes its status. Traditions have to explain themselves, to become open to interrogation or discourse. … In a globalizing, culturally cosmopolitan society, traditions become forced into open view: reasons or justifications have to be offered for them.” (Giddens, 1994, p.23)

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The Erosion of Solidarity of Citizenship II:…

• The erosion of economic nationalism and the crisis of external governance of the nation-state– The dominance of international institutions, e.g. WTO, MIF,

World Bank, etc– The constitution of the “Washington Consensus”

• Fiscal discipline

• Public expenditure priority

• Tax reform

• Financial liberalization

• Exchange rates

• Trade liberalization

• Foreign direct investment

• Privatization

• Deregulation

• Property rights

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• The advent of the competition state– Philip Cerny’s conception of competition state:

• “Globalization as a political phenomenon basically means that the shaping of the playing field of politics is increasing determined not within insulated units, i.e. relatively autonomous and hierarchically organized structures called states; rather, it derives from a complex congeries of multilevel games played on multi-layered institutional playing field, above and across, as well as within, state boundaries.” (Cerny, 1997, p.253)

• “Rather than attempt to take certain economic activities out of the market, to ‘decommodifiy’ them as the welfare state in particular was organized to do, the competition state has pursued increased marketization in order to make economic activities located within the national territory, or which otherwise contribute to national wealth, more competitive in international and transnational terms.” (2000, p. 122-23)

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– Bob Jessop’s conception of Schumpeterian Workfare Postnational Regime (SWPR)

• Schumpeterian: It signifies the replacement of Keynesian orientation in economic policy by the Schumpeterian orientation, which aims “to promote permanent innovation and flexibility in relative open economies by intervening on the supply-side and to strengthen as far as possible their structural and/or systemic competitiveness.” (Jessop, 1999, 355) In other words, the goal of securing full employment in economic policy has been overshadowed if not completely replaced by the objective of promoting competitiveness.

• Workfare: It indicates that the welfare orientation in social policy has been superseded by the policy orientation, which focuses on subordinating the logic of social policies to that of economic policies, submitting the demand of social welfare to the demands of labour market flexibility, the imperative of workplace, and the strive for structural or systemic competitiveness.

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– Bob Jessop’s conception of Schumpeterian Workfare Postnational Regime (SWPR)

• Postnational: It signifies the withering of the sovereignty of nation-state over economic and social policies within its national territory. It also indicates the prominence of international agencies, such as the IMF, World Bank, OECD etc, in determining economic and social policies at national level.

• Regime: It indicates that phenomenon of “hollowing out” of the state, which has been undertaken in capitalist states in the past three decades. It also implies the proliferation of non-governmental or even private agencies in the sector of public-policy provisions. As a result, the cohesive and coercive capitalist states have given way to the governance of policy networks.

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The Erosion of Solidarity of Citizenship III: The Rise of the Politics of the Internet

• Transformation of the nature of social movement: The emergence of network social movement– Replacement of material-based or even class-based social

movement of the Cold-War era by post-material social movement or movement mobilized by cultural values. Replacement of struggles of space of place, e.g. class struggle, “position war” by struggle of space of flow, e.g. struggle for cultural ideas

– Replacement of vertically integrated organization, such as political parties, trade unions, by horizontally connected, loosely coalized, semi-spontaneously mobilized networks

– Social movement are elevating from local political arena to global context by means of the technological infrastructure of the Internet and the symbolic superstructure of the global culture

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• The Transformation of civil society– Formation of citizen networks: New forms of civil associations

have emerged in the Internet– The emergence of cyber public-sphere and check-and-balance

mechanism operating through the Internet– Paradoxically, the Internet also brings about the “prevalence of

‘scandal politics’” (Castells, 2001, p. 157) and the degradation of the “public” from a group of rational and critical deliberators of public issues to a bunch of spectators on public shows

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• Changes in the political ecology through the Internet– The constitutions of informational warfare and cyber-guerilla-

warfare: “The more a government and a society depend on their advanced communications network, the more likely they become exposed to (informational) attacks. Furthermore, unlike conventional or nuclear warfare, these attacks could be launched by individual hackers, or by small, able groups, who could escape detection or retaliation.” (Castells, 2001, p. 158-9)

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• Changes in the political ecology through the Internet– The rise of “noopolitik”: The concept of noopolitik generates

from the Greek word noos for ‘the mind’ (Ronfeldt and Arquilla, , 1997). It “refers to the political issues and the political activities arising from the formation of a ‘noosphere’, or global information environment, which includes cyberspace and all other information systems. Noopolitik can be contrast with realpolitik (and its underlying military power). …In a world characterized by global interdependence and shaped by information and communication, the ability to act on information flows and on media messages, become an essential tool for fostering a political agenda.” (Castells, 2001, p. 160) As a result, public diplomacy has become a new department in international diplomacy.

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• Changes in the political ecology through the Internet– Swarming operation and the flash mobs: “‘Swarming’

represents a sharp departure from military concepts based on massive build-ups of fire power, armored hardware, and large concentrations of troops. It calls for small, autonomous units, provided with high fire power, good training, and real-time information. These ‘pods’ would form ‘clusters’ able to concentrate on an enemy target for a small fraction of time, inflicting major damage, and dispersing.” (Castells, 2001, 161) Analogues to this ‘network-centric warfare’ at the grassroots level is the flash mob.

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• Hardt and Negri’s proposal of democratic counterpower of the multitude– “The multitude is an active social agent – a multiplicity that

acts. The multitude is not a unity, as is the people, but in contrast to the masses and the mob we can see that it is organized. It is an active, self-organizing agent.” (Hardt and Negri, 2003, p.114)

– The advent of the Empire spawns crisis to national insurrection but opportunity to global counter-power movement of the multitude

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• Hardt and Negri’s proposal of …..the multitude …– “Political action aimed at transformation and liberation today

can only be conducted on the basis of the multitude. …To understand the concept of the multitude in its most general and abstract form, let us contrast it first with that of the people. The people is one. The population, of course, is composed of numerous different individuals and classes, the people synthesizes or reduces these social differences into one identity. …The multitude is composed of a set of singularities —— and by singularity here we mean a social subject whose difference cannot be reduced to sameness, a difference that remains different. …The multitude, however, although it remains multiple, is not fragmented, anarchical, or incoherent. ….

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• Hardt and Negri’s proposal of …..the multitude …– “…….. The concept of the multitude should thus also be

contrast to concepts,… such as the crowd, the mass, and the mob. …The crowd or the mob or the rabble can have social effects —— often horribly destructive effects —— but cannot act of their own accord. The multitude, designates an active social subjects, which acts on the basis of what the singularities share in common. The multitude is an internally different, multiple social subject whose constitution and action is based not on identity or unity … but on what it has in common.” (Hardt and Negri, 2004; Pp. 99-100)

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Global-Informational Society & Its Education Consequences

• Global education reform of post-national & competition state – Education reform as neo-liberal economic project of

competition state to solve the economic crisis elicited by the erosion of the economic nationalism and to enhance nation competitiveness in global-informational economy and to elevate the employability of the national labor force

– Education reform as part of the neo-liberal administrative project of competition state for reforming the public sectors of the welfare state, in which public schooling system is the major sector

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• Instrumental economicism: The underlying principle – Dominance of instrumental rationality: Extrinsic and

instrumental value of competitiveness replaces intrinsic and substantive value of education

– Economicism: Education is subject to the prescription of economicism in all aspect

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• Quasi-market mechanism: The institutional/operational mechanism– The quasi-market restructuring: Restructuring project of

education system by transforming state controlled and professional-led schooling structure into consumer-led schooling system which resembles as much as possible the neo-liberal free market

– Cult of “Surveillance-Evaluationism”: Constituting of the medium of exchange in quasi-market: of education

• Standardization: National Curriculum and Assessment, National Standards, performance indicators, benchmarking

• Classification and hierarchization: School League Table, School Report Card, Failing school list…

• Accountability and auditing: Establishment of Office for Standards in Education in UK in 1992 and Implementation of school inspection

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• Quasi-market mechanism: The institutional/operational mechanism– Hegemony of “Discipline-Managerialism”: Constitution of the

Supply side of the quasi market of education• Devolution and de-regulation of public schools

• From management by input and process to management by output

• Hegemony of performativity

• The constitution of entrepreneurial school and education by publicity

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• Quasi-market mechanism: The institutional/operational mechanism– The dominance of Parentocracy-Consumerism: Constitution of

the demand side of the quasi market of education • Constitution of market information and signals for consumers:

Publicizing school performance information

• Constitution of consumer choice

• Amalgamation of public and private school-sectors, e.g. voucher system

• Privatizing public schools: e.g. opting-out or charter schools

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Marketization

SupplyDemand

Medium of Exchange

Market signals

PrincipalProfessional Development

TeacherCompetenceFramework

LanguageProficiencyAsessment

EMI-CapableTeachers

EMI-CapableStudentsSVAIS

TTRA,TOC,

SVAIS

Standardization, Normalization, Commodification & Reification

ParentalChoice

EMI Schools

DSS

SSPADiscretionaryPlaces

Fra

gm

enta

tio

n &

S

trat

ific

atio

n

AuditedSchools

SBM

QAI

SSE

ERS

S-B Ordinance

Stan

dard

ization

&

Dism

antliztio

n

Surveillance-evaluationism

Parentocracy-consumerism

Discipline-managerialism

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Citizenship and Nationality Education in HKSAR

5429 July 20115 May 2011

5525 May 201230 April 2012

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Citizenship and Nationality Education in HKSAR

• The dialectic of the concept of One-Country-Two System– One sovereign state– One nationality– Two governmental-administrative systems– Two civil-legal systems– Two civil societies & public spheres– Two citizenships

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Citizenship and Nationality Education in HKSAR in Global-Informational Context

國家 the state

（行使統一主權的權力機器）

香港特區政府

（管治內部事務的權力機器）

中央人民政府

（管治對外主權的權力機器）

民族 the nation

（建基在團結感情的社群）

圖一：香港特區國民教育的制度基礎

(一国國兩制下制度的磨合)

(香港特區社會內部的團結) (多元一体格局下中華民族的團結)

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Lecture 13Education Policy and Globalization:

Globalization and the Debate on the Death of Citizenship

END

1 EDM 6210 Education Policy and Society EDM 6210 Education Policy and Society Lecture 13 Education Policy and Globalization: Globalization & the Debate.

Documents

erosion of rationality

mass communication

mass consumption

value of sign

society lecture

solidarity of basis

traditional production

necessary value