Educational Leadership and Asian Culture

The field of school leadership is in the early stages of understanding how school leaders’ values and behaviors are shaped by their cultural contexts. With over 60% of the world’s population residing in Asian countries, this timely book examines school leadership practices that expand our understanding of what transpires in non-Western societies. Examining a variety of indigenous Asian countries influenced by Confucian, Taoist, Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic philosophies and traditions, the authors provide empirical evidence and practical illustrations of how these cultural perspectives shape school leaders’ expectations and actions. Readers will be enlightened by the variety of Asian cultures represented, from high-population, ethnically diverse countries to much smaller, homogeneous societies.

Bruce Barnett, Professor Emeritus, University of Texas at San Antonio

The field of educational leadership has been dominated by Western and especially Anglo-centric perspectives. But leadership operates in different and overlapping ways in the East compared to the West. This important book introduces readers to the unique contribution of Asian perspectives in educational leadership and leadership in general that don't merely complement Western ones, but also challenge them in important ways. This is a book that will open minds in a way that is essential in an increasingly diverse world of global dimensions in education.

Andy Hargreaves, Professor, Boston College (USA), University of Ottawa (Canada)

The literature on school leadership has long been dominated by perspectives developed in the Western world, so this new book brings both challenges and complementary insights from a rich and diverse set of Asian cultural and spiritual values. Twenty-seven authors from eight Asian countries elaborate on approaches to leadership rooted in philosophical and religious traditions that include Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Islam among others, thus broadening and enriching the literature as well as demonstrating a genius for harmony that is deeply Asian. The book will appeal to educational practitioners, researchers and a wider public.

Ruth Hayhoe, Professor, University of Toronto