Abstract:

The scientific research question of this analysis points to the fact that a paradigm change in the meaning of educational conceptions and philosophies can be noticed because of intense globalization processes. The effects of globalization have changed present conditions of socialization and education processes in many ways. Human beings are confronted with the phenomena of biographical uncertainties, multiculturalism, a changed value of time, an intensity of interconnections, etc. The relevance of the study is evident: At present, education systems adapt to certain global demands that ask people to interact and compete in global economics and politics as well as to fulfil the specific codes and needs of their respective society. The analysis demonstrates that education systems which mainly concentrate on the needs of economic globalization can be seen as initiators and amplifiers of the globalization phenomenon. It is in this context that individuals have to be educated to become critical and self-aware world-citizens and to act meaningfully as local actors in their surroundings. These requirements may appear to be contradictory, but they actually characterize the challenges which globalization presents for education processes worldwide.
The topic of educational justice, to a large extent, is traced back to the increasing meaning of education for modernizing societies in the context of globalization. In particular in the politico-educational discourse, the future of the society in the global knowledge and information age is increasingly dependent on the future of education. Education is thereby regarded as one of the most important resources, which has to be accessible to all individuals in the same manner. The reflection on the relationship between education and justice from an educational-theoretical and educational-philosophical view refers then to current problems and discussions, as well as, to fundamental philosophical, societal-theoretical, and educational questions. The discourses concerning educational opportunities and the human right on education generate a close relationship between educational justice and the production of social justice through education; depending upon the context, one is regarded as condition for the other - and vice versa. In order to positively confront the challenges of international discrepancies in education, in the sense of a readiness for a global reconciliation, institutional education lags far behind and thus, education currently does not fulfil the role that it could as a stabilizing global force. In consequence, the pedagogical discourse of education has to be rethought to enable education to be a formative agent of change. The theoretical and conceptual framework of the research in the field of social science is based on an interdisciplinary conceptual framework concerning the fields of adult and further education, intercultural and global education as well as on peace, globalization, and development studies. The methodology of the analysis is based on qualitative research methods. The enquiry includes a set of investigation methods: First, analytical investigation which is based on interdisciplinary literature analyses; second, qualitative research methods: qualitative expert-interviews, narrative interviews as well as informal debates with different levels of formality (with experts and people concerned).

Keywords:

globalization, conflict patterns, role of education.