Chapter 9: American Curriculum in an Islamic Context: A Complex Adoption of Life Skills Education Program in Kuwait

We have become global consumers in a globalized society. We no longer can assume that fruit we buy in the local market came from the orchards of a nearby farm but instead gather our fruits and vegetables from the trees of Brazil, Chile, and other parts of the world. Neither can we assume Western values will be readily accepted in the countries that embrace the economic and social development brought about by globalization. But as the sun sets each day, the golden arches cast a shadow over the mosques in the Arab world. Muslim men and women dart about in their Mercedes Benzes imported from Europe via a ship whose last port was somewhere in Japan, and Western values are hidden within the transactions. The global structure we now function in has been evolving for years. In his essay “See You in Disneyland,” Michael Sorkin cites Prince Albert’s astonishingly prophetic address delivered at the 1851 London Exposition: