Comparative Education Society of Hong Kong

22/12/2025

Today, when we look around in our universities and our societies for philosophy of education, it is normal to find women in leadership positions. But this has not always been the case. Women have f...

01/12/2025

See you Wednesday!

See you there!

Seminar information:
Title: Bifocal Ethics in Educational Leadership and Policy
Date & Time: December 3rd, 2025, 3:30-5:00pm
Mode: Hybrid (in person and online)
Venue: Room RMS206, Runme Shaw Building
Zoom registration:
https://hku.zoom.us/meeting/register/rubM3ij2TtiEfvbvyJLMQg
Chair: Professor Liz Jackson

Abstract:
The presentation will propose for educational leaders a “bifocal” ethical framework that asks leaders to see situations both up close and from a distance, though not at the same time and without being able to reduce one perspective to the other. It asks of leaders that, in each situation, they remain sensitive and alert to the view they are not using, even if it is out of focus at that time. Recognizing similarities to discussions about care and justice (e.g., Held, 2015), or Western and Asian approaches (e.g., Kupperman, 1999), the framework presented will be informed more directly by Standish’s (2005) work on economies of “exchange” and “excess.” A bifocal ethics in educational leadership, then, asks educational leaders to be able to operate both in an ethical economy of exchange and in an ethical economy of excess. The former is a closed ethical economy in which we can gain certainty about fulfilling our obligations and having done enough. The latter is an open ethical economy in which such certainty is impossible.

Speaker:
Claudia Ruitenberg is Professor in the Department of Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia. Currently, she is Chair of the Doctor of Education Program in Educational Leadership and Policy in this department. She has served as President of the Philosophy of Education Society (2024-2025) and the Canadian Philosophy of Education Society (2016-2019). She is the author of Unlocking the World: Education in an Ethic of Hospitality (2015), and co-editor of (among other titles), Ethics in Professional Education (2018).

All are welcome!

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27/11/2025

A common stereotype in western higher education is that Asian students are “passive” rather than “active” learners. This stereotype is based on generalizations that Asian students tend to be quiete...

24/11/2025

Prof Liz Jackson will be the keynote speaker at the Bulgarian Comparative Education Society July 7-10 in Sofia. The conference theme is Education as an Ecosystem: A Global Dialogue. Check out the Call for Papers and join!

For too long, education has been viewed as a mechanical system—a linear process of inputs and outputs, governed by standardized policies and isolated disciplines. The BCES 2026 conference invites you to a paradigm shift. We propose reimagining education as an ecosystem —a dynamic, interconnected...

17/11/2025

As INPE prepares for its 20th conference in Montréal, nearly forty years have passed since its founding. Then, in 1988, the world was starkly divided between West and East. The movement of people and the flow of information were restricted, arms races intensified, and mutual distrust pervaded inter...

13/11/2025

Please join the Coalition at 1 PM (EST) on November 17th for “Generative AI Refusal as Feminist Methodology,” a Cheryl Glenn Advancing the Agenda webinar. In this webinar, Jennifer Sano-Franchini, Megan McIntyre, and Maggie Fernandes will discuss the intersections across generative AI refusal and feminist methodologies.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/IPzbisxnQgmrlXTBrCozSw

13/11/2025

The CESHK Executive met yesterday to continue conference planning. Stay tuned as acceptance letters and registration information will be sent out later this week.

12/11/2025