Deng Xiaoping's rule has seen fundamental economic change in China. This book considers the impact of these years on China's physical environment, as well as its people, industry, agriculture and trade. It also assesses the contribution of a decade of Chinese politics towards geopolitics. The book provides an introduction to Communist China, setting its spatial and environmental themes in the historical, political and economic framework so crucial to a proper understanding of this country and the fifth of the world's population it contains. It is particularly suited to courses on China, its geography and development strategy. After the bloody events of Tiananmen Square in June 1989 China's geopolitics will continue to hold the world's attention. With this in view the book also provides guides to further reading.

Chapter 1. Education and Democracy in Dangerous Times Chapter 2. The Paradox of Democratisation: College Prep and The Production of Shadow CapitalChapter 3. Global Social Movements and Dialogical Pedagogy: Politics, Power and Process Chapter 4. Resisting Governance by Numbers: Some Lessons from Schools Chapter 5. Pursuing Pragmatic-Radical Curriculum Democracy: Students as Co-Researchers on Problems that Matter Chapter 6. What Is Valued Knowledge and Where Does It Live? Educational Consciousness and the Democratisation of Education Chapter 7. Critical Literacy as Legitimate Knowledge: The Importance of Teacher Agency Chapter 8. Re-Imagining Young Children's Literacy Education for their Democratic Participation Chapter 9. Teaching Democracy While Students Leave Their Shoes at the Door: Attending to Mundane Practices of Power Inequality in Thai Schools Chapter 10. Wither Democracy? The Rise of Epistocracy and Monopoly in School Governance Chapter 11. Jacinta's Story: Challenging Neoliberal Practices and Creating Democratic Spaces in Public High Schools Chapter 12. Towards an Arts Education for Cultural Citizenship Chapter 13. Democratic Management in Brazilian Schools: Practices of Resistance Chapter 14. Becoming Third World Women Educators Chapter 15. `Beating Their Unclad Chests': Voluntourism, International Service and The Place of Critical Pedagogy Inside the Neoliberal University Chapter 16. Grassroots Democracy In New York State: Opting-Out and Resisting the Corporate Reform Agenda in Schooling