A comparative analysis of secondary art education in Malta and Bulgaria

Abstract

At the crossroads of the European, African and Asian continents, the Mediterranean and Balkan regions have met repeatedly throughout history, but have rarely faced one another on the educational and cultural front. Considering the presence of common regional factors that create a basis of shared experiences between the two locations, this research pays special attention to Malta and Bulgaria in terms of comparing their educational systems in the field of visual arts education at secondary level, viewed through the prism of national identity formation. In this research, the combination of a historical functionalist and a relativist approach to comparative analysis was applied in order to provide a comprehensive yet context sensitive assessment of the various cultural phenomena that have influenced national education systems and visual arts education from modern historical times to the present. The attempt to describe the extent to which Malta and Bulgaria share commonalities or diverge in their approach to education revealed that both educational systems developed under the strong influence of political and socio-economic models. The influence of these models in determining educational outcomes was demonstrated by reviewing the visual arts syllabi in secondary education in both countries, finding significant differences in the interpretation of the visual arts in the general education programme. These interventions also contributed to the development of certain notions of national identity, which were reinforced by state education and the visual arts, affecting the post-colonial and post-socialist experiences of the two countries.