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The Education Alibi - Towards a critically reflexive perspective on the paradoxes of schooling in Africa

Education – and in practical terms, schooling – has often been described as one of the most invasive outcomes and long-lasting societal changes initiated by colonial rule in African countries. In globalized educational and development discourses relating to Africa, education and schooling usually have a positive connotation, as they are believed to be key to the future of the continent. The positive images, promises, and related attempts of “education for all” have for the most part evaded fundamental critique, and if anything, they have become more powerful. The workshop takes a critically reflexive perspective on education and schooling and their inherent moralities. To prompt such reflexivity, we suggest shifting the focus to what we describe as “the education alibi” in Africa.

When:          April 25-27, 2022
Where:         Alexander-von-Humboldt-Haus | Eichendorffring 5 | 95447 Bayreuth
Convenors: Erdmute Alber, Liz Cooper and Wandia Njoya

Workshop program
Workshop poster