The Culture Of Individualism And Collectivism In Balancing Accountability And Innovation In Education

The concept of individualism and collectivism has been widely studied with reference to the cultural elements, which have nothing in common pertaining to integrity. That is, individualism and collectivism always stand in sharp contrast to each other. In other words, these concepts occupy opposing edges of the platform that seeks to shape lifestyle and attitude of societies. In that light, this paper discusses individualism and collectivism from Islamic perspective, highlighting the interplay between these two inseparable concepts. Islam views individualism (accountability) and collectivism (innovation) as foundational and innovative concepts. The former, as fundamental building bricks that constitutes principles of accountability in human activities, and the latter as an innovative element that flourishes from principles of accountability and stipulates human activities. Furthermore, the paper gives insightful implications of individualism and collectivism with particular reference to education.