Decolonising religious education in sub-Saharan Africa through the prism of anticolonialism: a conceptual proposition

Through the lens of an anticolonial (as opposed to postcolonial) analytical framework, this conceptual paper examines decolonising efforts (and failures) in Religious Education (RE) as a school subject in post-independent sub-Saharan Africa. It critiques the missionary/European epistemological hegem...

Description complète

Enregistré dans:  
Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Matemba, Yonah Hisbon (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
Vérifier la disponibilité: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
En cours de chargement...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Publié: [publisher not identified] [2021]
Dans: British Journal of religious education
Année: 2021, Volume: 43, Numéro: 1, Pages: 33-45
Sujets / Chaînes de mots-clés standardisés:B Subsaharisches Afrika / Pédagogie des religions / Décolonisation
Classifications IxTheo:AH Pédagogie religieuse
KBN Afrique subsaharienne
ZC Politique en général
Sujets non-standardisés:B postcolonial environment
B Decolonised RE
B anticolonialism
B Sub-Saharan Africa
Accès en ligne: Accès probablement gratuit
Volltext (Resolving-System)
Description
Résumé:Through the lens of an anticolonial (as opposed to postcolonial) analytical framework, this conceptual paper examines decolonising efforts (and failures) in Religious Education (RE) as a school subject in post-independent sub-Saharan Africa. It critiques the missionary/European epistemological hegemony that continues to render RE a colonial rather than a postcolonial project. Beyond rhetoric of the impact of colonialism, the paper laments the perversity of a ‘colonial caged mentality’ affecting the conceptualisation of RE in what is supposed to be a postcolonial milieu in which Africans should design school curricula that suit their particular needs. It calls for the re-conceptualisation of RE de-linked from colonial/Eurocentric thought patterns and presents an ‘envisioned’ decolonised RE (post-confessional, inclusive and multi-faith) that speaks to the political and socio-cultural reality of a postcolonial environment in sub-Saharan Africa. The argument in this paper is that sub-Saharan Africa should yearn for a paradigm shift not only to ensure the decolonisation of the RE curriculum, but also crucially to challenge embedded colonial residues inherent in stakeholders ‘manning the gates’ ensuring that decolonised RE is supported and implemented effectively in the curriculum and schools.
ISSN:1740-7931
Contient:Enthalten in: British Journal of religious education
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/01416200.2020.1816529