Liberal Education across Continents: Transfer Elasticity and US Influence

Overview & Synopsis

This essay considers the variants of liberal education that have arisen outside of the United States, conceptualizing liberal education as a loosely transferred "ideal type" and the United States as a "reference society." The geopolitical framings (i.e., American style, European model, Asian approach) that differentiate global liberal education are explored, and I argue that these labels are revealing in terms of location and legitimacy but less useful with respect to understanding the educational transfer that has been occurring. I analyze the loose coupling asserted in theories of educational borrowing, calling attention to the possibilities and limits of the geopolitical framing, and responding to the spatial reconsideration being called for in the comparative education field.