Promoting decolonisation in the Global South through African studies

Abstract

<p>African studies are important in pointing out the existing coloniality in the Global South. Some countries in the Global South suffered first colonisation and then coloniality. Colonisation refers to one group wielding power over another while coloniality signifies the unequal power relations that remained after independence of the colonised countries. This paper presents a report that is part of a larger study conducted in Kenya that explored the instructional strategies used in mainstream schools to support students with disabilities. The study also explored Indigenous knowledges used in inclusive classrooms. A postcolonial perspective was employed. Data was collected in central Kenya. A case study format was used in the study which took place in four schools. The results showed that the education system is a site of coloniality which is maintained through the curriculum, books, language, parent-teacher relations, and pedagogy. A decolonial perspective will be used to discuss inclusive education in Kenya in relation to the coloniality of knowledge, the coloniality of power and the coloniality of being. Decolonising education systems in the Global South is one step in undoing the existing power relations between the Global South and the Global North. It is an important step because of the role education plays in cementing people's beliefs about themselves in relation to the rest of the world. This paper adds to the literature on decoloniality in the Global South and the role of indigenous knowledges in decolonisation.</p>