Decolonising religious education in sub-Saharan Africa through the prism of anticolonialism
A conceptual proposition
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21445102 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yonah Matemba, Yonah Hisbon Matemba (0000-0001-5739-6112, Schlumberger (Ireland), corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 33-45 |
| Publication date | 2021-01-02 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | British Journal of Religious Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0141-6200 • E-ISSN: 1740-7931 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/01416200.2020.1816529 |
| OpenAlex | W3081939420 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 9 |
| References cited | 57 |
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
Argument (complex analysis) · Colonialism · Curriculum · Decoloniality · Decolonization · Epistemology · Faith · Hegemony · Pedagogy · Political science · Politics · Postcolonialism (international relations) · Rhetoric · Sociology · Subject (documents) · Theology · Education and Islamic Studies · Gender Studies · Law · Philosophy · Religion, Society, and Development · Religious Education and Schools
A reflection on a womanist theologian’s endeavour to dismantle whiteness, through creating the religious education module ‘Black Religion and Protest’
Turning decolonial rhetoric into anti-colonial praxis in religion education Africa South of the Sahara
Decolonising religious education through the prism of affect theory
Myths and misunderstandings
The British Journal of Religious Education (BJRE) at 90
Neocolonialism, Anti-Coloniality and Religious Education
Religious Literacy as a Literacy ? Conceptual Elaboration in a 21st Century Learning Framework
Religion in South African Education
Toward a Decolonized Moral Education for Social Justice in Africa
Religious Education and Religious Pluralism in the New Africa
Liberalism, Multiculturalism and Toleration
Human Rights and Religious Education
Is Decolonization Possible?
Liberalism, Multiculturalism and Toleration
Decolonizing the Study of Religion
Decolonisation of higher education
Indigenous Research Methodologies
Christianity and the African traditional religion(s)
Issues in the integration of religious education and worldviews education in an intercultural context
Mapping the field of Indigenous knowledges in anti‐colonial discourse
Muslim–Christian Relations in Tanzania with Particular Focus on the Relationship between Religious Instruction and Prejudice
Religion, Education and Post-modernity
Spaces of contest for religious education reform in comparative perspectives
Processes of Policy Borrowing in Education
Fees Must Fall
Democracy and the new political pluralism in Africa
Prospects for Pluralism
Decolonizing the evidence-based education and policy movement
Discourses of Demonization in Africa and Beyond
Decolonising African Studies
Christianity and Public Culture in Africa
Indigenous Knowledge Studies and the Next Generation
New Concepts for New Dynamics
| Citations per year | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |