Beyond Royalty: Students' Negotiations of Prior and New Knowledge About Africa

• In Event: Black History Past and Present: Theoretical and Practical Considerations for Teaching and Learning Black History

Abstract

The continent of Africa is under- or misrepresented in most world history textbooks and curriculum. Manning (2013) argued “some visions of ‘the world’ leave out” Africa, despite its “immense population” (p. 16), and the contributions of African and African descendants to philosophy, mathematics, science and the arts. Consequently, many world history teachers are underprepared to teach about African histories and cultures. In addition, textbook representations of Africa are inconsistent, primarily discussing the continent in relation to slavery and ethnic conflict. This broad problem has specific implications for Black students in the United States, as accurate representations of Africa are correlated to the development of positive racial identity and to engagement with historical content for this group (King, et al, 2013; King & Swartz, 2013; Ladson-Billings, 1995; Osunde et al., 1996).
Given the growing body of knowledge about Africa’s depiction in school curriculum, the purpose of this study was to examine the meaning Black students associated with the continent and how these meanings supported or inhibited learning in a Black history museum. The theoretical framework for this study was critical museum pedagogy (Hooper-Greenhill, 1999), a framework intended to democratize the museum learning experience. Democratize refers to the process of expanding access to the content of museums, by disrupting the master narratives that undergird historical narratives (Aldridge, 2006; Brown & Brown, 2010; Ladson-Billings, 2003; reference omitted) and by shifting the contexts in which the exploration of and engagement with history take place (King & Swartz, 2014).
A qualitative case study of two summer school classes constitute the data for this study. Each class was given a prior historical knowledge worksheet to record their previous beliefs about Africa and where they felt these beliefs emerged. Classroom interactions were audio recorded. Students were asked to use their prior historical knowledge as a point of reference during field trips to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, MI. Museum interactions were recorded in the author’s field journal and in students’ research journals. Audio recorded individual and focus group interviews were completed to debrief after the museum visits. Results indicate that: 1.) though students might share certain identity markers and experiences, each individual student possesses a distinct body of prior historical knowledge; 2.) negative stereotypes of Africa can be identified and challenged through exposure to alternative narratives; and 3.) Black students might struggle to ‘let go’ of positive stereotypes about Africa and may need additional support managing the resulting sense of loss.
This study contributes insight into the representations of Africa that Black students in urban schools encounter in their everyday experience. Further, findings emphasize the need to support students in developing and maintaining racial and cultural identities grounded in the most accurate information about Africa that teachers, museum curators and interdisciplinary scholars of Africa have to offer.

Author

• Ashley Nicole Woodson, University of Pittsburgh