March 21, 2004

ALL the great visionaries of history were endowed with the potential to be the prophets of change. These visionaries — poets, social philosophers, writers, politicians, as well as the day-dreamers — believed that a better world was possible, and that one needed to dream of it as the first step towards its realization. Humankind with its immense possibilities and potentialities embarked on its journey on earth, broadening as it progressed the existing spectrum of life and accelerating the natural evolutionary process. No one else but a cultural historian can appreciate what humankind could and has done in this scheme of nature.

When one such cultural historian, Riane Eisler, reviews the cultural panorama spread over a millennia and tries to figure out a better, more just and enlightened future for the progeny of Eve and Adam, there is created Tomorrow’s Children. The book under review is a good translation of the same.

The book advocates changes not only in the education system but the whole complex of socialization to promote values of partnership replacing those of dominance. The former were evident in some societies and proved equally progressive and peaceful than the latter. The dominance and authoritarian model has been characterized mostly by male supremacy. It has been prevailing in human history for a much longer time and has resulted in misery, exploitation, bloody wars, hierarchy, social alienation, subjugation of women and minorities, arms trade, narcotics and many more social ills. Good prospects of progress and equitable distribution of benefits among all sections of society is ensured in societies following the partnership model, while dominance ultimately leads the world to either a holocaust or other forms of annihilation.

The author looks into the cultural, social and personal aspects of the two models or paradigms and proposes a comprehensive programme to promote partnership norms and values through reforming the education system. Her partnership framework is based on her own experiences and that of other teachers. It has three interrelated components of education: process (methodology), contents (curricula), and structure (of home, school, classroom, administration and the society).

The underlying logic is that each individual is unique and deserves respect. A student’s physical, emotional and mental needs must be cared for, the learning process must be more egalitarian, which should be aimed at enhancing individuality, creativity, and independent thinking, hence be more empowering for the students. The contents should be more context-bound, promoting humane values, multiculturism, sustainable environment, and gender equity thus leading to the transformation of the culture. It should be meant for preparing the new generation for meeting the challenges of the post-industrial and post-modern age, and to let them know their possibilities.

The book is divided into two major parts focusing on: a) the contents and building blocks, and b) values, structures, relations, descriptions and a model for the new education. Part two gives constituents of the model, which the author has envisioned as a tapestry with horizontal strings representing the time factor in terms of the evolution of planet earth and life on earth, its connection with the cosmos and nature. The vertical strings represent six sets of mental devices including academic disciplines, computer literacy, and needs and interests of the students. The crisscross weaving of the tapestry helps integrate and enrich modern education.

The author suggests how to teach various topics of different disciplines according to the new model. She feels that the way humanities are being taught has been promoting anti-human feelings by portraying humankind as a defective specie, fond of violence and incapable of doing justice. She emphasizes the need for including ordinary folks and seeking a partnership model in past cultures and mythologies to promote multicultural education to breed tolerance towards other cultures.

Folk tales inculcate discriminatory attitudes in a subtle way. Much of the classics not only portray women contemptuously but also romanticize violence against women. Sexist language is a tool of the dominator’s values.

Eisler warns of the role of the media in internalizing the values of the dominance model. She shows concern about the learning of stereotypes, prejudicial and discriminatory attitudes as well as the patriarchal models of femininity and masculinity from the media. She identifies the fears and problems of children when they grow old, and therefore advocates partnership education as a way out.

The schools should breed a healthy, responsible and informed attitude in children about social relations and sexuality through participatory classroom teaching focused on participatory moral sensitivity instead of moral apathy of the domination model. It is also important to incorporate environment education in the curricula and allow partnership education to give impetus to creativity in all fields of life. There is a need to integrate the string of ‘sympathy for life’ in the curricula as well as peace education. This approach is being tested at the Centre for Partnership Studies, Pacific Grove (California). Partnership methodologies are applied in many other countries as well.

The book addresses a host of issues the children of tomorrow can confront. Though the description is coloured by the American mainstream culture, it is quite valid to other cultures, which are coming within the range of the global media explosion. The question of applicability of Eisler’s model in the context of Pakistan is not very complex, but the strategy must be very efficient since we have the worst forms of intimate violence, a crippled form of democracy, an oppressive social set-up and a constricting patriarchal ideology. The effort to rewrite the text of future lives should start from our own lives and homes, as today’s parents would present models to the future generation.

As an exponent of partnership paradigm, Eisler may win a great name but she could not free herself of the ethnocentric biases, bred as an American. She justifies the need to promote participatory culture at the global level in order to get a better understanding of the new cultures which the Americans are now encountering in the age of globalization.

The four appendices are a good source of information and provide accounts, notes, handouts, education plan on various aspects of teaching partnership, excerpts from some texts and a list of books and videos. The book is well-documented and researched with notes and an extensive bibliography in English. A good repository of information about many organizations, websites and books, this book can help interested people and educators replace the dominance relationship with that of partnership.

 

Mustaqbil Kay Bacchay (Tomorrow’s Children)

By Riane Eisler

Translated by Dr Khalil Ahmad

Mashal, RB-5, 2nd floor, Awami Complex Usman Block, New Garden Town, Lahore 54600

Tel: 042-5866859

Email: mashbks@brain.net.pk Website: www.mashalbooks.com

444pp. Rs250

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