Colin Brock was one of the most prolific British writers in the field of comparative and international education, both as an editor and as an author, in the latter part of the 20th century and the early part of the 21st century. Indeed, at the broadest level, Brock's work always exhibited concern for the marginalised, the disadvantaged, and the excluded in society. He also saw education as much more than 'schooling'. Colin Brock's contribution to the field of comparative and international education can be seen as wide ranging, disparate, and varied in nature, but on closer examination his collective works have a deceptive coherence and embody the spirit and purpose of the public intellectual. His work has had a seminal influence in all three of his areas of special interest: education in small states; education as a humanitarian response; and the geography of education.

This article reflects upon the history of the Journal, its evolving nature and rationale and upon possibilities and priorities for the future in what are uncertain times for all.

It is with great sadness that we have to report the death of Professor Colin Brock on 30th December 2016 following a short battle with his illness.Colin was a key figure in helping to establish the Centre for Research in International and Comparative Education (CRICE) at the University of Malaya and this journal, the Journal of International and Comparative Education (JICE).From the outset he was the Chair of the International Advisory Board and his wise counsel will be sorely missed.In many ways Colin Brock was a larger than life figure both physically, as well as professionally in the field of Comparative and International Education, simply because of his prodigious output of papers, books, monographs and reports and his impact on so many students over 40 years.During his academic career he supervised 72 doctoral theses, 250 Masters Dissertations and examined over 60 Masters and Doctoral students in different universities.He was still writing until a few weeks before his death.In some ways it is impossible to place Colin Brock in any particular genre of Comparative and International Education apart from the Geography of Education which was his first love.He did his Masters degree by research at the University of Durham between 1962 and 1965 in the field of urban geography and his PhD on the impact of geography on education at the University of Hull between 1986 and 1992.He was not associated with any particular geographical region such as Africa or Southeast Asia, though his short period in the Caribbean led him to develop an interest in Small States, and he was willing to undertake almost any task or subject.As a result he was at home writing about teacher education in Sub-Saharan Arica as he was about Education in the Muslim World of the Middle East and North Africa or Education in Europe.His edited works covered just about every part of the world and on a very wide range of subjects.Colin was born in London in September 1939, soon after the outbreak of the Second World War.He was educated at Rutlish School in Merton, South West London between 1950 and 1958.

Comparative Education: The Construction of a Field. By Maria Manzon (2011), 395pp. ISBN: 978-988-1785-26-8, Hong Kong: Springer and the Comparative Education Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong

Book ReviewConfronting the Shadow Education System: What GovernmentPolicies for What Private Tutoring' By Mark Bray (2009), 135pp. ISBN: 078-92-803-1333-8, Paris: IIEP/UNESCO Publishing

This paper shows how important is context in undertaking comparative and international educational research. It begins by showing how early UNESCO Plans for Asia largely ignored this crucial aspect. It then goes on to trace the development of the twin fields of comparative and international education, their purposes and different approaches and areas of inquiry before turning to South-'‐East Asia. By looking at the context of South-'‐east Asia as a region in its own right, with its diversity and complexities, and by highlighting the region's uniqueness, the paper suggests that there has been too little comparative research across the region as a whole. Too much has been concentrated on individual countries or on a couple of countries at a time. The paper ends by making some recommendations for future comparative educational research.

This paper shows how important is context in undertaking comparative and international educational research. It begins by showing how early UNESCO Plans for Asia largely ignored this crucial aspect. It then goes on to trace the development of the twin fields of comparative and international education, their purposes and different approaches and areas of inquiry before turning to South-East Asia. By looking at the context of South-east Asia as a region in its own right, with its diversity and complexities, and by highlighting the region's uniqueness, the paper suggests that there has been too little comparative research across the region as a whole. Too much has been concentrated on individual countries or on a couple of countries at a time. The paper ends by making some recommendations for future comparative educational research.

Writing in 2007, in collaboration with Margaret Sutherland, we published a paper on the history and development of the British Association for International and Comparative Education (BAICE) for th...

During the 1970s there were considerable pressures brought to bear on teacher educators in the UK to introduce courses in multiracial and multicultural education. These came from official reports, the DES, even the Inspectorate. Nothing came of them, however, partly because of changes in government, partly because of a lack of any coherent official policy towards multi‐ethnic education. Yet teachers are constantly blamed for being racist, ethnocentric and unsympathetic towards our culturally plural society. This paper seeks to argue that the teachers are less at fault than the teacher educators in training institutions and that unless the latter move towards introducing more courses in multiracial/ cultural education there is little hope of change. Unfortunately, according to an analysis of a survey undertaken of UK teacher training institutions into the teaching of comparative education, including multicultural and development education, remarkably little is done to change ethnocentric attitudes or to prepare students for teaching in multicultural classrooms.

During the past 10 to 15 years there has been a renewed interest in the place of religion, religious education and religious schools in different parts of the world. This began in the USA and Europe with the development of private Christian schools. It was later followed by the resurgence of religious schools in the former parts of the Soviet Empire. Given that Christianity is still the world's largest and most widespread religion, this paper explores different government approaches and policies towards Church-state relations in selected national contexts. Where necessary, reference will also be made to the place of education in other religions. While most examples are drawn from the industrialised countries of the west, and the position of Christianity in those countries, some references are made to certain developing countries. The paper also argues that because of policies of inclusion, equality and multiculturalism within western democracies, their governments are in danger of destroying their religious educational roots. The result is that those with a deep religious faith believe that they can only guarantee that their faith can be conveyed to their children through the pursuance of independent, private religious schools.

This paper examines the intellectual and professional contribution of comparative and international studies to the field of education. It explores the nature of the challenges that are currently being faced, and assesses its potential for the advancement of future teaching, research and professional development. Attention is paid to the place of comparative and international education (CIE)—past and present—in teacher education, in postgraduate studies, and in the realms of policy and practice, theory and research. Consideration is first given to the nature and history of CIE, to its initial contributions to the field of education in the UK, and to its chief mechanisms and sites of production. Influential methodological and theoretical developments are examined, followed by an exploration of emergent questions, controversies and dilemmas that could benefit from sustained comparative analysis in the future. Conclusions consider implications for the place of CIE in the future of educational studies as a whole; for relations between and beyond the ‘disciplines of education’; and for the development of sustainable research capacity in this field.