Summaries

If you wanted to change an ancient culture in a generation, how would you do it? You would change the way it educates its children. The U.S. Government knew this in the 19th century when it forced Native American children into government boarding schools. Today, volunteers build schools in traditional societies around the world, convinced that school is the only way to a 'better' life for indigenous children. But is this true? What really happens when we replace a traditional culture's way of learning and understanding the world with our own? SCHOOLING THE WORLD takes a challenging, sometimes funny, ultimately deeply disturbing look at the effects of modern education on the world's last sustainable indigenous cultures.—Anonymous

Details

Keywords
  • native american
  • children
  • social issues
  • culture
  • social documentary
Genres
  • History
  • Documentary
Release date Oct 27, 1988
Countries of origin United States India
Official sites Carol Black
Language English
Filming locations Ladakh, India
Production companies Lost People

Box office

Tech specs

Runtime 1h 6m
Color Color
Aspect ratio

Synopsis

If you wanted to change an ancient culture in a generation, how would you do it?

You would change the way it educates its children.

The U.S. Government knew this in the 19th century when it forced Native American children into government boarding schools. Today, volunteers build schools in traditional societies around the world, convinced that school is the only way to a "better" life for indigenous children.

But is this true? What really happens when we replace a traditional culture's way of learning and understanding the world with our own? Schooling the World: The White Man's Last Burden takes a challenging, sometimes funny, ultimately deeply disturbing look at the effects of modern education on the world's last sustainable indigenous cultures.

"Generations from now, we'll look back and say, 'How could we have done this kind of thing to people?'"

www.schoolingtheworld.org.

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