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Un-schooling the Postcolony: Using Development Paradigms to Underdevelop Africa

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  • Nkami-Eval Elemi

    (Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)

Abstract

The colonial educational system was not intended to develop Nigerian children’s cultural identities. In religious texts, images of Lucifer were black, while those of Saints, Mary and Jesus were (and are still) “white†. In school books also, imageries of the Queen, London Bridge, castles, koala, reindeer, etc, were parts of the unAfrican concepts administered to children. In problematising these, this paper uses the analyses of historical narratives, social evidence, illustrations in primary and secondary school textbooks and field observations to highlight how British colonial enterprise un-schooled the colony, using un-African cultural materials that alienate Nigerian children from their own cultures.

Suggested Citation

  • Nkami-Eval Elemi, 2025. "Un-schooling the Postcolony: Using Development Paradigms to Underdevelop Africa," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(4), pages 2610-2620, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:9:y:2025:issue-4:p:2610-2620
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lange, Matthew K., 2004. "British Colonial Legacies and Political Development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 905-922, June.
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