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Paper short abstract:

With a view to combatting the exclusivity of anthropology and encouraging undergraduate applications from comprehensive school students, this paper reports on an attempt to expose a mixed class of Year 10 students to concepts in anthropology through their GCSE text, 'Lord of the Flies'.

Paper long abstract:

For many secondary school students in England, lack of exposure to anthropology at pre-university level can be considered an obstacle to accessing an anthropological education. This paper reports anecdotally on a strategy for teaching anthropology in more inclusive ways: weaving it into secondary English classes in schools where the subject is not offered.

This case study was undertaken with a class of thirty Year 10 students, males and females, at a comprehensive school in Dorset. The students were studying William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies' for their Literature GCSE. Exploration of the text's theme of savagery was initiated through readings relating to isolated children and human universals whilst understanding the social roles inhabited by the characters was facilitated by discussion of cultural evolution and acquisition of language. Though moments of bafflement ensued that were important in assessing the success of this strategy, engagement with the text increased triple-fold and several students expressed a desire to continue to learn about anthropology, resulting in an Anthropology Club being set up.

Finally, responding to the suggestion that engaging with questions of access might improve the quality and future of anthropological research more broadly, the paper ends by offering suggestions for how English and Anthropology could work more closely together to give both subjects relevance to secondary-age students, notwithstanding methodological and conceptual disparities.

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Paper short abstract:

This study explores Chinese immigrant families’ experience in depth and discuss how do intersectional factors such as race, gender, class and immigrant experiences shape and reshape parents’ values, beliefs and expectations, which affect their parental roles and involvement in children’s learning.

Paper long abstract:

Ethnic Chinese is the fourth largest ethnic minority in Scotland, yet current research on Chinese immigrants falls short in comprehensively exploring their parenting practices and their children's learning experiences in the Scottish context. In this research, ethnographic case study is employed. Since Chinese community in Scotland has their distinctive cultural phenomenon, applying ethnographic case study helps better understand the cultural phenomenon of this community’s experiences, and explore the complexity of the parents’ involvement in children’s learning in depth. By utilizing participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and collecting parents' journals over a six-month period with five Chinese immigrant families, the research unveils diverse strategies employed by parents in engaging with their children's learning. For example, helping with children’s homework daily, arranging after-school activities outside home weekly, and creating learning opportunities at home. While their choice of activity for children evolves gradually, which depends on the parents’ socio-economic status, immigrant experiences in Scotland, personal upbringing experiences in China, and their children’s own preference. These factors also lead to shaping parents’ expectations and their interpretation of their own parental roles, which also meanwhile affecting their involvement. The study also identifies challenges faced by parents in their involvement, particularly when navigating interactions with different cultures. The findings highlight the significance of applying the intersectional approach from the cultural lens while providing support for Chinese immigrant parents to address their involvement difficulties in children’s learning. Meanwhile, considering the intersectional factors also provides more perspectives to enriching children’s learning opportunities, which would be beneficial for their development.

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Paper short abstract:

The 2020 National Education Policy (NEP) in India advocates vernacular education for tribal children in primary and secondary schools. Based on ethnographic research, I will document the state's homogenous education systems that rob the tribal children of their languages and identities.

Paper long abstract:

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, 2022 reports that Scheduled Tribes (S.T.) constitute approximately 8.6% of the population of India, numbering around one hundred and four million. The tribals are the country's most neglected groups regarding education, livelihood, and political representation despite numerous plans and policies, including reservations, since India's independence. They have lived in mineral-rich, geographically isolated geographic regions. Since the 1990s, the state and multinational corporations have introduced extraction for mining in their habitats, destroying their lives and livelihoods. As a result, young people are migrating to urban areas for menial jobs. Their lack of education keeps them at the bottom of society's social and economic ladder.

To achieve inclusive education and livelihood, Article 15(4) of the Indian constitution empowers the state to make special provisions for the education of Scheduled castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) (Sahoo 2009). The 2020 National Education Policy (NEP) recognizes the crucial role of mother tongue-based education and advocates using it as the medium of instruction until at least grade five and six, preferably until grade eight and beyond. Despite NEP promises, state education policies do not cater to tribal identity, their intrinsic relationship with nature, the environment, and fellow living beings. The state curriculum forces them to be part of the homogenous education system without considering their diversity of languages, cultures, and worldviews.

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Paper short abstract:

Before anthropology is adopted at the art school, we need to reckon with its radical potential for engaging found conceptual worlds. This ethnographic account of a Greek art school makes the case that even outmoded theoretical models such as formalism can shed new light on ethnographic contexts.

Paper long abstract:

One of the hallmarks of ethnographic practice is its ability to engage found conceptual worlds and treat their teachings as immanent tools for the solution of practical and/or theoretical problems. Within the breadth of writing on the intersections of art and anthropology, this paper makes an attempt to define the singularity of ethnography. Rather than suggesting what anthropology in the art school might look like, this is an ethnography at the art school. In Greece, in order to enter one of the country’s four Fine Arts Academies, students must sit for a five-day live drawing exam in which a thousand students crowd around six identical compositions of plaster casts of ancient statues and an assortment of plastic objects, and are asked to produce charcoal sketches or acrylic paintings. To pass this exam, most students will have attended between two to three years of preparatory classes at private, afternoon “cram schools” called frontistiria. During my fieldwork at one such frontistirio, I was taught to approach sketching in a formalist way, after nineteenth century art historian Heinrich Wölfflin. Although formalism is largely outmoded in art history and anthropology, I make the case that following our ethnographic commitments, found theories can shed light on our ethnographic object in unforeseen ways. In this case, returning to formalism opened up unlikely vistas on the institutional imbrication of private and public education. Grappling with ethnographic openness in this way is crucial to anthropology’s adoption in art curricula, so as not to become just another method.

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Paper short abstract:

Anthropology is strangely absent from German high school curricula, due to reasons particular to Germany's epistemic, political and ideological contexts. The paper explores where and how Anthropology still matters, while focusing on current developments in the field of 'Religious Education'.

Paper long abstract:

If social and cultural anthropology offer unique tools to comprehend differences and sameness among humans, most would agree they should be part of general education. Yet, these disciplines, broadly matching the term _Ethnologie_, are strangely absent from German school curricula. This is due to several reasons particular to Germany's epistemic, political and ideological contexts: a conflict of terminology, perhaps, as _Anthropologie_ is primarily thought of as a branch of Philosophy, with central ideas also in pedagogics and educational sciences; an educational federalism, which results in a varied landscape of educational policies and standards; Last but not least, the historical interlocking of early modern racial theory and political ideology that, while not exclusive to Germany, has resulted in a profound suspicion towards the legacy of _Völkerkunde_ (people studies).

The paper considers these aspects by drawing on the history of several failed attempts at introducing _Ethnologie_ as school subject [@Schaaf2008]. Attempts that were at times motivated by an academic vision of advancing civil society, while also being the chosen strategy in the struggle against academic marginalization. However, anthropology still matters across the board: On the grounds of her teaching experience in secondary education, the presenter points to relevant subject areas and focuses on current developments in the field of 'Religious Education' that offer new pathways for an integration of social and cultural anthropology.

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Paper short abstract:

The paper seeks to explore how engagement in open discussions can help to address problem-solving exercises, role play, negotiation strategy, peaceful interaction, cooperation, enhanced classroom management, and cognitive and social attitudes among preschool children.

Paper long abstract:

This study examines the influence of open discussion practices in preschool classrooms on the development of open-mindedness among preschool learners. Recognizing the formative stage which is deemed important early years of a preschool child. The paper seeks to explore how engagement in open discussions can help to address problem-solving exercises, role play, negotiation strategy, peaceful interaction, cooperation, enhanced classroom management, and cognitive and social attitudes among preschool children. The study adopts a qualitative research methodology, that involves observations and interviews in various preschool settings, focusing on the implementation of open discussion techniques by educators and the corresponding responses from children. The findings indicate that open discussions in preschool environments significantly contribute to the development of critical thinking skills, empathy, and a sense of curiosity in young learners. These discussions encourage children to express their thoughts freely, engage with diverse viewpoints, and develop a broader understanding of the world around them. The study reveals that such practices not only enhance cognitive skills but also foster social and emotional development, preparing children for a more interconnected and diverse world. Challenges in implementing open discussion practices, such as age-appropriate content moderation and balancing guided learning with exploratory discussions, are also addressed In conclusion, the study underscores the vital role of open discussions in early childhood education. It advocates for the incorporation of these practices into preschool curricula to nurture open-minded, inquisitive, and empathetic individuals. The findings offer valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and curriculum developers in the field of early childhood education.