Rural schooling and good life in late socialist Laos: Articulations, sketches and moments of ‘good time’

Roy Huijsmans*

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Drawing on ethnographic research in northern Laos, this article analyses articulations of a good life in primary school textbook imagery and how this resonates with everyday life in rural upland communities. This is contrasted with children’s sketches of a good life found in the classrooms and ethnographic accounts of moments of ‘good time’ in the context of rural schooling. It is argued that these latter moments constitute brief instances of a good life in the present. Given the deeply hierarchical power relations in which rural education is embedded, not all of these good times stay good for very long. This is reflective of the condition of late socialism in rural areas.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)163-191
Number of pages29
JournalEuropean Journal of East Asian Studies
Volume20
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 11 Dec 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Funded through the ESRC - DFID Raising Learning Outcomes in Education Systems (grant number: ES /N01037X/1), PI : Professor Nicola Ansell, Brunel University London, United Kingdom.

Publisher Copyright:
© roy huijsmans and mr piti, 2020.

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