Colonial Education and Anticolonial Struggles

This chapter addresses two intertwined topics: colonial education and anticolonial intellectual struggles. The first refers to the historical period of European colonization in Africa, Asia, Oceania, and America, starting with the establishment of colonial education systems. Formal education represented the spread of colonial models of education furthered by stereotypes about indigenous cultures. The chapter concentrates on sub-Saharan African colonies, mainly the Portuguese, the English, and the French overseas territories. Anticolonial intellectual struggles are examined as movements that invoke ideas of social justice, emancipation, and opposition to the oppressive structures of racism, discrimination, and exploitation. Anticolonial thought contributed much to the reshaping of the educational systems, often relying on precolonial cultures combined with internationally influential thinkers such as Gandhi, Fanon, Césaire, and Cabral. Postcolonial theories and comparative methodologies provide an understanding of the role played by anticolonial narratives in reshaping national identities and political educational strategies.