Culture and identity: an introduction

Abstract

Culture and Identity, 2nd ed. is an edited work critically addressing the role of culture and identity within education. Designed for introductory 'sociology of education' courses, the text takes a strong socio-cultural perspective on the changing dynamics of the Australian education system and its participants. The book is a collection of introductory essays on aspects of many of the faces of culture and the various forms of identity that connect with or are resistant to a number of contemporary Australian cultural contexts. The text introduces students to key theoretical concepts and philosophical paradigms in order to explore multiple notions of culture and identity. These are then applied to our own education environment on different levels - including the personal and individual, social and community, and the global and macro. All of the major issues are covered including race, mulitculturalism, sexuality, gender, class, self, environments, nationalism, globalisation and international analysis.