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Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000010229546 | LC1567 L84 2001 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
In this cross-cultural exploration of the comparative experiences of Asian and Western women in higher education management, leading feminist theorist Carmen Luke constructs a provocative framework that situates her own standpoint and experiences alongside those of Asian women she studied over a three-year period. She conveys some of the complexity of global sweeps and trends in education and feminist discourse as they intersect with local cultural variations but also dovetail into patterns of regional similarities.
Western feminist research has established that relatively few women hold senior positions in universities and colleges. Using the now common metaphor of the "glass ceiling," this research has developed a range of social, cultural, and institutional explanations for women's underrepresentation in academic life. International studies show that women in non-Western countries are also underrepresented in higher education. Yet do Western explanations and strategies for change hold for academic women working in non-Western universities? The very diversity among women's experiences calls into question many of the analytic tools, terms, claims, and solutions formulated by Western feminism. This is the first study to show how cultural differences figure into the institutional dynamics of "glass ceilings." It raises important theoretical and practical, strategic, and tactical questions about issues of cultural difference and institutional power.
Reviews 1
Choice Review
Luke (Univ. of Queensland, Australia), author of numerous publications on feminist and social issues, has undertaken a much-needed investigation into the impact of globalization of higher education on women in the academic workforce in Asia. She approaches this work with sensitivity to the west-to-east flow of the academic literature and a clear understanding of feminist research methodology. In the first part the author sets the context for her investigation with a discussion of the Western literature on the subjects of women in higher education, globalization, and "new managerialism." She concludes the section by exploring the issues involved in investigating aspects of globalization while being sensitive to the specifics of experience, context, and identity. The second part of the book begins with an overview of the research methodology used by the author; case studies of academic women from Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia follow. The book would be useful to graduate students in higher education and individuals interested in feminist theory. R. K. Eubank St. Mary's University of Minnesota
Table of Contents
| Preface | p. vii |
| Acknowledgments | p. x |
| Introduction | p. xiii |
| I Women, Education, and Equity: North/West | |
| 1 Women in Academics: Views From the North/West | p. 3 |
| 2 Globalization | p. 24 |
| 3 New Managerialism and Women in Higher Education | p. 53 |
| 4 Western Feminism, Globalization, and Local Standpoints | p. 72 |
| II Women, Education, and Equity: South/East | |
| 5 Women in Academics: Views From the South/East | p. 99 |
| 6 Thailand | p. 129 |
| 7 Singapore | p. 150 |
| 8 Hong Kong | p. 176 |
| 9 Malaysia | p. 199 |
| Postscript | p. 235 |
| References | p. 241 |
| Index | p. 259 |
