Today, Central Asia continues to face many political, socio-economic and cultural changes brought about by the end of one ruling ideology, particularly in the field of education. With the loss of Soviet ideology that ...Today, Central Asia continues to face many political, socio-economic and cultural changes brought about by the end of one ruling ideology, particularly in the field of education. With the loss of Soviet ideology that formed the basis of the curriculum and educational standards, transition and instability threatened to supplant one ideology for another, in the form of newly developed myths of nationalism on one end of the spectrum and fundamentalism or anti-globalism on the other. Thus, the task of educators working through this period of transition has been both arduous and complex. Humanities education of AKHP of UCA （Aga Khan Humanities Project of University of Central Asia） provides a key channel for training students and educators in independent critical thinking, tolerance of pluralism, and appreciation for the importance of diversity in Central Asian post-Soviet societies, playing a pivotal role in the promotion of these values. This paper argues that cultivating knowledge in the humanities can prevent development of extreme ideologies such as nationalism, fundamentalism and anti-globalization in the region following independence. The positive impacts of implementation of AKHP and its liberating role in the life of the Central Asian students show that development and adoption of an integrated interdisciplinary curriculum that incorporates cross-cultural and comparative studies can serve as a catalyst for reform of the broader education system and the region at large.展开更多
文摘Today, Central Asia continues to face many political, socio-economic and cultural changes brought about by the end of one ruling ideology, particularly in the field of education. With the loss of Soviet ideology that formed the basis of the curriculum and educational standards, transition and instability threatened to supplant one ideology for another, in the form of newly developed myths of nationalism on one end of the spectrum and fundamentalism or anti-globalism on the other. Thus, the task of educators working through this period of transition has been both arduous and complex. Humanities education of AKHP of UCA （Aga Khan Humanities Project of University of Central Asia） provides a key channel for training students and educators in independent critical thinking, tolerance of pluralism, and appreciation for the importance of diversity in Central Asian post-Soviet societies, playing a pivotal role in the promotion of these values. This paper argues that cultivating knowledge in the humanities can prevent development of extreme ideologies such as nationalism, fundamentalism and anti-globalization in the region following independence. The positive impacts of implementation of AKHP and its liberating role in the life of the Central Asian students show that development and adoption of an integrated interdisciplinary curriculum that incorporates cross-cultural and comparative studies can serve as a catalyst for reform of the broader education system and the region at large.
