Challenges of Nationalism and Globalisation to Music Teacher Education: A Comparative Study of Hong Kong and Taipei

This research project explores the dynamics and complexity of the relationship between the state, nationalism and globalisation in music teacher education in Hong Kong and Taipei. Hong Kong and Taiwan have long been crucibles of cross-cultural encounters between Chinese and Western cultures. They have different political ecologies (in terms of level of democracy), and have different relationships with Mainland China. These two factors have affected the meaning of “home country”, and therefore the promotion of national identity and nationalism in education and music education in both Chinese societies.

In this project, nationalism is an important social and political phenomenon that involves creating, for Hong Kong and Taiwan, a definable identity through participation in singing and listening to both national anthems, and by developing Chinese and/or Taiwanese traditional and folk music in school music education. The dynamic effects of globalisation on teacher education are found in the integration of world music and popular music in both in-service and pre-service teacher education. To date, no studies examining the similarities and differences in music teacher education in Hong Kong and Taiwan have been found in relation to the double paradigm of nationalism and globalisation.

The research methods will involve a survey questionnaire to a significant number of students (in the hundreds) attending a music education programme, as well as in-depth interviews with music teacher trainers, and pre- and in-service primary and secondary school teachers in the two localities. The core question for each of the different sectors of informants is the extent of their response to cultural shifts in the educational policies and music practices involved in the double process of nationalism and globalisation.

This research will advance our understanding of the concepts of nationalism and globalisation in music education, not only by comparing Chinese localities with different socio-political contexts, but also by contrasting these experiences with those in other parts of the world. By reframing the major concerns of comparative education around the dynamics of national and global forces, the theoretical significance of this study is to provide insight into, and new explanations for, how changes in national and international systems and relations result in changes in the values and musical cultures of music teacher education. Why, and to what extent, education systems in different parts of the world are similar to and/or different from one another are major questions for scholars in the field of comparative music education.