What actually is creativity? And what contributes to its conceptualization and development? For decades, these and other questions have fascinated researchers, educators, parents and laypeople alike, and equally so in the East and West. This interesting collection of articles is an attempt at exploring and answering the above questions from both the Eastern and Western perspectives. Readers may find some answers stimulating, and others bewildering. This is in fact the reality and fascination of creativity research and education. It is hoped that readers will share the joy of reading such a road map.

Contents:

• Creativity: A Meeting Between the East and the West (S Lau et al.)
• Personal Creativity and Culture (M Runco)
• Creativity: Developmental and Cross-Cultural Issues (T I Lubart & A Georgsdottir)
• Creativity Among Chinese People: Beyond Western Perspective (E Rudowicz)
• Why is There a Paradox in Promoting Creativity in the Asian Classroom? (A K Ng & I Smith)
• Creativity and Innovation: East-West Comparisons with an Emphasis on Chinese Societies (K Leung et al.)
• Progress from Traditional to Creativity Education in Chinese Societies (V M Y Cheng)
• Recognizing and Nurturing Creativity in Chinese Students (J-J Wu)
• The Social Psychology of Creativity: The Beginnings of a Multicultural Perspective (B A Hennessey)
• Beauty is in the Eye of the Creator — A Psychological and Cross-Cultural Account of Children’s Understanding of Pictorial Art (S F Lin)
• Blue Apples and Purple Oranges: When Children Paint Like Picasso (K C Soh)
• Singapore’s Creativity Education: A Framework of Fostering Constructive Creativity (A-G Tan)
• Inspiring Creativity Through Music (M Adachi & Y Chino)
• Creativity and Multiple Intelligences: The DISCOVER Project and Research (C J Maker)
• Nurturing Creative Thinking: Western Approaches and Eastern Issues (G J Puccio & D W González)

“A particularly impressive feature of this book is the cultural diversity and regional variations represented by the range of authors ... this book extended my understanding of the relationship between culture and creativity through the presentation of central theories and solid empirical evidence. It is also a good general reference book for anyone who is interesting in studying creativity or other topics with a cultural theme.”