Book excerpt: Globalisation and modernisation are the buzzwords of the new millennium. They serve to sharpen the focus on the dynamic nature of political, economic and social systems and, in this book, the editor and contributors attempt to locate educational changes in a selected number of Muslim countries within the over-arching global scene. There has been considerable debate about the legitimacy of these terms and both have inspired definitions, nuances and accompanying emotions that run the whole gambit from welcoming acceptance to murderous aggressions. Terms like ancient, medieval or modern, when describing eras in the history of Europe, with the most recent one being referred to as post-modern, have been strongly debated. And, within the broad sweep of globalisation it is argued that there are identifiable stages, with many making for exclusive definitions, others inclusive.