The representation of the temporal notion of post-colonial Africa in South African history textbooks
Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa
| Field | Value | |
| Title | The representation of the temporal notion of post-colonial Africa in South African history textbooks | |
| Creator | Maposa, Marshall T. | |
| Description | This article is premised on the current (2015–2016) developments in South Africa whereby the country’s youth are increasingly engaging in discourses of South Africa’s post-colonial condition and the need for decolonisation. But how do the history textbooks that they use in schools construct this contentious post-colonial period? On this basis, the main objective is to examine the temporal representation of post-colonial Africa in South African history textbooks. Critical discourse analysis was applied on a sample of four National Curriculum Statement-aligned textbooks with a focus on sections that covered content on post-colonial Africa. The findings from the textual analysis show that the temporal notion of post-colonial Africa is not clearly framed within a particular period. The ambiguity of the temporal notion, a fundamental concept in history, stems from the fact that the lexicalisations used as time markers in the textbooks cannot be linked to one particular date, resulting in a post-colonial Africa whose beginning and – more specifically – end cannot be unambiguously determined. The textbooks also sometimes refer to the post-colonial period as singular, whereas in other cases they describe the period as consisting of different phases. I conclude that such ambiguity reveals a loophole in educating the learners about a period whose circumstances they are trying to not only engage but also transform. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2018-08-14 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/td.v14i2.485 | |
| Source | The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa; Vol 14, No 2 (2018); 8 pages 2415-2005 1817-4434 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/485/794
https://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/485/793
https://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/485/795
https://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/485/792
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