Dating back to the 19th century, international institutions have played an important role in the transfer and communication of pedagogical ideas, allowing different nations to spread and exchange ideas on education. After World War I, the League of Nations and its subdivisions, for example the International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation and the International Educational Cinematographic Institute, were the most important institutions in this area. Their goal was to foster international understanding and intellectual communication.
Approach
This project looked at the history of educational cooperation between the League of Nations and China. Their cooperation included an exchange of professors between Europe and China, the establishment of education delegations, an exchange of educational films, and further transnational intellectual activities.
This project investigated the following questions:
- What are the extrinsic driving forces and social contexts of transnational educational exchange and cooperation?
- How did the League of Nations create transnational spaces and thereby connect the East and the West?
- How can we describe the relationship among the actors, organisations and institutions of the League of Nations and China?
- To what extent were individual actors involved in the cooperation, and how did these personal connections promote the processes of transnational exchange and communication?
- How did the cooperation contribute to transnational educational exchange and communication?
- To what extent did the process fulfil its original goals and expectations?
