But Do They know It’s February in China? And Other Questions of Authority and Culture in Comparative Classrooms

Abstract

In this essay I recount three interesting questions students have asked me in comparative classroom settings, each of which I see as helping to problematize assumptions about the material they are studying as well as teachers’ responsibilities in unearthing and responding to these underlying prejudices. I outline the difficult position in which comparative philosophy teachers at times find themselves in (i.e., occupying the role of cultural representative for a variety of cultures and traditions). I then conclude with several pedagogical strategies to support teachers negotiating such cross-cultural conversations.