A Socio-Cultural Reconceptualization of African History Through Literature and Historiography

• In Event: Virtual Poster Session
  In Virtual iPresentation Only: SIG-Caribbean and African Studies in Education Virtual Poster Session

Abstract

The growing call to centre the teaching of African history (hereafter AH) within local, regional, and global discourses requires a rethinking of African history. It also raises tensions about how to position African history in decolonizing education, tensions that will continue to shape how African history is theorized, researched, and taught. Using a socio-cultural approach, I explore four key themes in the literary and historical works of Chinua Achebe and Toyin Falola. These themes—African consciousness and agency, Indigenous knowledge systems, relationality to land and place, and, significantly, a political and critical project—contribute to developing a concept of AH that is vital for decolonizing education.

Author

• Oladipupo Adedamola Ogunfeibo, University of British Columbia