Democratizing and Decolonizing Education: A Role for the Arts and Cultural Praxis: Lessons from Primary Schools in Maasailand, Southern Kenya
Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Under the impact of global neoliberal educational policies and the continuing influence of colonial-informed policies and pedagogical approaches, the arts, in schools around the world, are either being devalued or their conception is being narrowly focused towards market-based purposes. Researchers and critical theorists have argued that the arts are a vital educational tool for promoting the creative, critical and culturally responsive skills necessary for a robust democratic society. For centuries, the arts and cultural practices have been deeply embedded in the rich cultural heritage of many indigenous peoples as tools for giving voice, building community and sharing knowledge. For nation-states, like Kenya, which have struggled along a rocky road toward democracy, the arts and cultural practices could play a key role in supporting the development of critically engaged citizens for the broader purposes of democratic and transformative education. This thesis uses a two-pronged lens informed by critical-democratic theory and decolonial theory to explore teachers' understanding of their use of the arts and cultural praxis in a purposely selected case study located in Maasailand, southern Kenya. The research design followed an international case study approach and drew from comparative international education theory and methods. In order to deepen the understanding of the multi-contextual factors influencing teachers' use of the arts and cultural praxis, the study also included data gathered from policy documents and from other educational stakeholders including head-teachers, principals, supervisory officers, parents, curriculum coordinators, policy makers and community members. The analysis and discussion of the findings provides a critique of the continuing impact of colonial and neoliberal educational policies on teachers' use of the arts and cultural praxis for transformative education, and highlights the need for a broader and more equitable conception of the arts and cultural practice as
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Mary Drinkwater
Language: English
Subfield: Visual Arts and Performing Arts
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2630441699