教育即文化框限：三位文化人類學者的教育觀點

Education as Culturally Constrained: Perspectives on Education From Three Cultural Anthropologists

本文整理三位文化人類學家對教育的觀點。C. Geertz認為教育即文化限縮，J. Henry認為教育即文化綑綁，G. D. Spindler則認為教育即文化干預、文化壓縮，三者皆強調文化依賴教育擔負傳遞的功能，卻同時框限教育的內涵與運作。延伸討論的結果指出，教育的框限並非絕對的，教育不會被全然的文化所決定，在特定文化範圍內仍允許學校實施的彈性與個人抉擇的自由，也容許相對程度的創造；從文化相對論推論出教育的相對論，教育皆有其文化框限，各有其優缺點；每種教育模式都只是適應文化環境的文化選擇，沒有優劣差別，亦無放諸四海皆準的教育。在結論中，引用Spindler創用之文化治療概念，期待教育工作者從文化觀點進行質疑與批判，不需盲從於特定時空的教育模式，勇於發掘文化框限的機制與效應，以獲得教育的相對主體性，促成文化與教育的覺醒來支持合理教育的運作。

This article synthesizes the viewpoints of three cultural anthropologists on education. C. Geertz regards education as cultural reduction, J. Henry views it as cultural binding or fettering, and G. D. Spindler sees it as cultural intervention and compression. They all emphasize the reliance of culture on education for its transmission, yet at the same time, note how cultural also confines the operation of education. The extended discussion suggests that the limitations of education are not absolute. Education is not entirely determined by culture; there is still room for flexibility in implementation within the broader cultural space and freedom for individual choice, as well as opportunities for relative creativity. Derived from cultural relativism, the perspective adopted in this paper argues that all forms of education have their own cultural limitations, each with its advantages and disadvantages, and that every educational model is merely a cultural choice, adapted to its environment, with no superior or inferior models. In conclusion, drawing on Spindler’s concept of ‘cultural therapy,’ the paper calls for educators to critically question educational models from a cultural perspective, and to avoid blind adherence to specific educational models found in a particular time or place. It encourages the exploration of the mechanisms and effects of cultural constraints, with the goal of achieving relative subjectivity in education, and thereby fostering a better understanding of the interplay between culture and education that supports the rational operation of education.