Globalisation, post-modernity and the state: comparative education facing the third millennium

In this article, the implications for globalisation and Post-modernity are assessed in terms of the self-understanding and practice of comparative edu cation, particularly in relation to contemporary theories of the state, and civil society. It is argued that, while globalisation and post-modernity a re usually seen as discrete phenomena, each raises complex questions of dif ference and hybridity, power and collective action, which can no longer be seen in relation to the nation-state alone. Different meanings of globalisa tion are canvassed, based in part on Sklair's taxonomy, while examples of t he impact of globalisation, especially on higher education, are given. The implications of post-modern thought are also analysed, particularly for res earch and understanding in comparative education. Referring to Putnam's wor k on civil society, it is argued that both globalisation and post-modernity are linked to changes in the nature of late capitalism, and crises in the modern state. It is finally argued that neither offers much in practice to the much needed renewal of democracy, including in education; indeed that b oth arguably contribute to a trend towards individualism, and a retreat fro m democratic engagement and visions of the social good.