Bridging Asian and European ways of learning in the new globalisation

This keynote argues in favour of rediscovering the Asian Way of Learning and of a New Globalization bridging the Asian Way and conventional European (Western) paradigms. In the new 21st century, as Asia (in particular China and India) rises, and in the aftermath of the global financial tsunami, the world is witnessing a new Asiatic mode of production. Internationalization is no longer just Europeanization or Americanization. The Asian Experience and the Asian Way will likely exert a growing impact on the 'new' globalization. Indeed, if internationalization is really to promote a sense of globalness or cosmopolitanism, then it should be championed as a multidimensional process emphasizing 'multi-ethnicity and multiculturalism'. Genuine globalization should be firmly grounded in cross-cultural fertilization and mutual learning rather than conformity and convergence to any ‘universal’ set of benchmarks that might deter or discourage diverse local features. Both Asia and Europe have a long history and rich tradition of thought and scholarship. The European tradition of higher learning was grounded in the ideas of reason, moral and culture. Similarly, in China, Confucianism saw the way towards great learning as entailing 'the formation of high moral character, enlightening the people (community), and ultimately achieving the ideal realm'. There is a lot to be mutually learnt between the Western (Europe) and Asian ways, bearing in mind, too, the diversity of European and Asian traditions and cultures. Bridging the Asian and European Ways of Learning should mark the features of the New Globalization of this century.