Surface exclusion /
Time, geography, and political environment all impact understandings of the educated individual, yet there remains an ever-present struggle between the hierarchical nature of academia and the democratic ideals of equality. Faculty, researchers, and members of the academic elite benefit from opportun...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Los Angeles, CA :
SAGE Publications, Inc.,
2024.
|
| Series: | SAGE skills: student success.
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Connect to the full text of this electronic book |
| Summary: | Time, geography, and political environment all impact understandings of the educated individual, yet there remains an ever-present struggle between the hierarchical nature of academia and the democratic ideals of equality. Faculty, researchers, and members of the academic elite benefit from opportunities for large-scale research projects and greater financial support, yet the path to success is frequently reserved for those who do not represent the populace. Unfortunately, educational inequities are not limited to race, gender, or global region. While it is impossible to separate social pressures, economics, and politics from educational systems, it is also essential to understand the impact of intangible cultural heritage on educational inequalities. It is important to understand that inequalities are the result of an uneven distribution of resources based on cultural norms. Inequality is different from inequity, which is the unfair distribution of goods or services based on human-made structures that create privilege for certain groups. Cultural heritage and inequalities between cultural groups extend to populations as they move away from their native lands. They are not reliant on social context. Globalization, climate change, and mass migration emphasize cultural differences and put additional pressures on public policy and infrastructure, including those related to educational attainment. To maintain economic and social balance, all countries must recognize that education has become both a commodity for national growth and a tradable good on the international market. As a result, international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization have begun to focus on educational equality as a measure of global success and sustainability. To begin to address the biases embedded in academia and educational culture, society must first recognize the difficulty in defining inequality and distinguishing it from democratic ideals such as integration and discrimination. Conceptual definitions of inequality stem from an assortment of disciplines, including but not limited to economics, history, law, political science, and sociology. Individuals distinguish inequalities through their understanding of the aforementioned disciplines and formulate definitions based on lived experiences. In both a general and specific sense, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognizes the embedded nature of inequalities as part of living heritage. Inequalities are not just theoretical concepts but are also cultural beliefs within communities, so simply recognizing inequality requires time and an understanding of the shifting external environment. Because equality and inequality are intangible, the community determines their relative value, often emerging in the form of grassroots movements. As a result, establishing equality in communities necessitates a willingness to adopt new identities and a conscious desire to realign cultural understanding. Ironically, generational continuity and a sense of community identity often interfere with achieving equality. Building equality requires individuals to confront the exclusivity of their community for the good of the collective. Intangible cultural heritage serves as a social function that impacts diversity and, indirectly, perceptions of equality. While strong cultural heritage leads to rich tradition and unique community identity, it also fosters a perception of "otherness" and limits opportunities for reflection on external groups as well as a general appreciation for human creativity. Organically, communities can create a culture of equality if they are secure in their uniqueness, able to identify areas in need of improvement, and willing to incorporate new beliefs into their identity. Globally, nonprofit and politically based international organizations initiate projects focused on educational equality under the guise of economic success, sociocultural development, and opportunities for leadership on the global stage. However, Figure 1 shows an overall failure of citizens in all regions to achieve the expected years of schooling. The linked Excel file provides these same data in a downloadable format. |
|---|---|
| Physical Description: | 1 online resource : illustrations. |
| ISBN: | 9781071936245 1071936247 |