east/west

Peter Smagorinsky (psmagorinsky who-is-at uoknor.edu)
Mon, 27 May 96 11:10:27 -0500

I read an interesting column today in the business section of the Dallas
Morning News. Jim Landers reported on a speech by Malaysia's Prime Minister
Mahathir bin Mohamad in Washington last week in which Dr. Mahathir argued
that if an Asian parliament threatened to impose human rights sanctions on a
European country, the West would regard the Asian country as crazy. He also
questioned the arrogance of the Western media: "There are democracies where
political leaders are afraid to do what they know is right. Indeed, they
are quite literally oppressed by their own media, the way people in feudal
societies are oppressed by their rulers, knowing their unfortunate situation
but not daring to raise their voices against an established institution, to
curb its excesses." According to the article Mahathir has been rebutting
Western critics of Asian politics since 1981. Among his argument is that
Asian societies value order and harmony over freedom of expression, while
Westerners value freedom of expression and other individual liberties above
all else. He argues that these values are political and are used to justify
political regimes.

My own interest in this article concerns its application to schooling.
Generally speaking, I'd say that the orientation to order and harmony
characterizes the Asian students I've taught over the years (keeping in mind
that "Asian" includes multiple ethnicities, including groups that have
ruthlessly engaged in war with one another over the centuries). I'd say it
also describes some non-Asian cultural groups within the US. The
orientation to order would seem to me to work against the ideals expressed
on xmca over the past few months in the discussion on coerciveness--I would
say (without sounding patronizing, I hope) that such students view the
constraints of order as *facilitative* in the sense described by Valsiner.
Yet Western discussions of how education should ideally be would appear to
involve the same imperialism that Mahathir finds in American international
politics--imagine, for instance, how we'd respond if a Malaysian lectured us
on the need for greater teacher and administrative control over Western
schools.

Back to the article: Some important quotes: "Dr. Mahathir has led Malaysia
with a firm hand for a long time. What Dr. Mahathir and the rulers of
Singapore, Indonesia, and China have to back their claims of "Asian-style"
representative government is economic success." One perspective on Mahathir
is that, by defending "order", he keeps himself firmly in power--yet this
may be a Western perspective on a different type of society. A second point
is that, in some way, the arrangement "works." But then so did the
antebellum American South.

I find these questions so interesting because I see no immediate way to
think about them. Any thoughts?

Peter

Peter Smagorinsky
University of Oklahoma
College of Education
Department of Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum
820 Van Vleet Oval
Norman, OK 73019-0260
office phone: (405)325-3533
fax: (405)325-4061
psmagorinsky who-is-at uoknor.edu