HKU Bulletin October 2015 (Vol. 17 No.1)

From left: Professor Gerard Postiglione, Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Education; Dean of Education Professor Steve Andrews; and Dr Liz Jackson at the book launch on September 19, 2014. Dr Liz Jackson (second from left) having a discussion with students. In our global society, research from one part of the world can make a difference in another part, which is one of the reasons HKU prides itself on its diverse scholars making contributions to knowledge the world over. A study of American curriculum might seem unimportant to Hong Kong life. However Dr Liz Jackson’s book, Muslims and Islam in US Education: Reconsidering Multiculturalism , provides a counter case. Redefining Multiculturalism I was surprised to find that when and if Islam was discussed, the emphasis always seemed to be on Islam and terrorism. Dr Liz Jackson Although focussed on American education, Dr Jackson’s book provides lessons that can be extended to Hong Kong: these relate to diversity in society, competing demands for national stability and democracy, and how to understand the varied experiences of Muslims the world over. This year the book has been selected for the PESA (Philosophy of Education Society of Australia) Book Award and the HKU Research Output Prize for Education. The book focusses on the case of Islam in US education over the last 20 years with implications for curricula, religious education and multicultural education today. It explores the complex relationships between religious education in the US, the attitudes of teachers and society toward Islam, and multiculturalism as a framework for meeting the needs of minority group students. Dr Jackson looks closely at multiculturalism as a concept and suggests that it should be rethought with the aim of developing a more democratic, inclusive and informed society. Prompted by her surprise at the impact of Middle East politics on US textbooks in the 1980s and 1990s, Dr Jackson first explored Islam in American education for her thesis in 2008. She could have no idea that even more interesting changes to texts – and more fascinating debates about Islam in society and education – would take place toward the end of the 2000s, and into the 2010s. Public ignorance “In the US the place of religion in the public sphere has always been controversial. And there was a lot of public ignorance about Islam revealed after 9/11,” she said. Since then, there has been a growing acknowledgement that education about Islam is necessary but she notes that such efforts are often disparaged by local communities as somehow unpatriotic. Dr Jackson admits that when she first came to HKU three years ago, she wondered how her research would be relevant or applicable to Hong Kong. It is both. In 2012 she was funded by the UGC (University Grants Committee) The University of Hong Kong Bulletin | October 2015 50 | 51 Books