Seeing Culture Rather Than Poverty: An Interview Study of White South African Teachers

• In Event: Decolonizing the Curriculum: Challenging the Constraints of Colonized Knowledge

Abstract

In the summer of 2011 I embarked on a research project and interview study in Central City, South Africa of white practicing P-12 teachers. This paper represents a portion of the larger study, focusing specifically on four of the twelve participants and their conceptions of “culture” and “cultural difference” in relation to both their own Afrikaner culture and the many other cultural groups they interact with. The specific research questions for this study were: How do white practicing P-12 teachers explain their ideas about multicultural education in the schools in which they work and in contemporary South Africa more broadly? What impact(s) does this have on their practice as teachers?

Author

• Zachary A. Casey, Rhodes College