Investigating the Discourses Shaping Egyptian Curriculum and Students' Approaches to the Country's Ancient Histories: Envisioning an Indigenous Epistemology

• In Event: 25.086 - Sheraton Roundtable Session One - Grand Centre
  In Roundtable Session: 25.086-6 - Critical Issues in Schools, Schooling, and Culture

Abstract

In attempting to seek curricular approaches that are more inclusive and that are more in tune with Egypt’s history and geography, I explore the representations of Egypt’s ancient history both in educational curricula as well as in Egyptian students’ understandings of the country’s ancient history. The exploration offers insights into the competing, exclusionary discourses shaping the country’s curricula and how those are being passively internalized or actively resisted by students. Given that dominant discourses emphasize a strong disconnect from the country’s ancient history, at times downplaying ancient knowledge and belief systems, I argue that embracing an approach that is more inclusive of ancient indigenous epistemologies could offer a productive alternative or supplement to current approaches to curriculum.

Author

• Ehaab Dyaa Abdou, McGill University