Empire and Education in Africa brings together a rich body of scholarship on the history of education in colonial Africa. The book examines similarities and differences in approaches to education across a broad geographical and chronological framework, from the 1850s to the late 20th century. The chapters highlight some central concerns in writing histories of education that transcend geographic or imperial boundaries. The text addresses the relationship between voluntary societies' role in education provision and state education. The book also deals with 'adapted' education: what kind of education was appropriate to African people or African contexts, and how did this differ across and between colonial contexts? The contributors emphasise the impact of political, social and economic change on the nature and scale of educational provision. The rise of democracy, nationalism and radical politics, industrial revolution, urban society and the advent of social science all had an influence on the emergence of educational policy as a distinct field by the middle of the twentieth century. All these issues had an impact in the colonial context. Many of the chapters deal with issues of gender in colonial education, showing how issues of gender were central to education provision in Africa.

The Changing Landscape of Colonial Education in Africa offers a detailed and nuanced perspective of colonial history, based on fifteen years of research, that throws fresh light on the complexities of African history and the colonial world of the first half of the twentieth century. It provides an analytical background to history of education in the colonial context by balancing contributions by missionary agencies, colonial government, humanitarian agencies, and scientific experts. The book offers a foundation for the analysis of modern educational policy for the post-colonial state. It attempts to move beyond cliches about colonial education to an understanding of the complexities of how educational policy was developed in different places at different times while giving credence to arguments which see schooling as a form of social control in the colonial environment. The book will be essential reading for academics, researchers and policy makers looking to better understand colonial education and contextualise modern developments related to the decolonising African education. It is intended to provide an essential background for policy makers by demonstrating the significance of a historical perspective for an understanding of contemporary educational challenges in Africa and elsewhere.

The Changing Landscape of Colonial Education in Africa offers a detailed and nuanced perspective of colonial history, based on fifteen years of research, that throws fresh light on the complexities of African history and the colonial world of the first half of the twentieth century. It provides an analytical background to history of education in the colonial context by balancing contributions by missionary agencies, colonial government, humanitarian agencies, and scientific experts. The book offers a foundation for the analysis of modern educational policy for the post-colonial state. It attempts to move beyond cliches about colonial education to an understanding of the complexities of how educational policy was developed in different places at different times while giving credence to arguments which see schooling as a form of social control in the colonial environment. The book will be essential reading for academics, researchers and policy makers looking to better understand colonial education and contextualise modern developments related to the decolonising African education. It is intended to provide an essential background for policy makers by demonstrating the significance of a historical perspective for an understanding of contemporary educational challenges in Africa and elsewhere.

The papers for this special issue were selected from a pool of nearly 700 presentations which were made at the 10th Congress of the World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES), which was held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 12 to 17 July 1998. The congress was hosted by the Southern African Comparative and History of Education Society (SACHES) and held on the campuses of the University of the Western Cape and the University of Cape Town. The papers were selected by the convenors of the conference's standing commissions, which provided a significant focus for the conference proceedings. These commissions were on the following themes: Teachers and teacher education Curriculum - Higher education - Lifelong learning - Language, literacy and basic education - Gender and education Policy - Theory and theory shifts Basic education in Africa Peace and Justice Dependency European Education Policy Research in Africa Culture, Indigenous Knowledge and Learning The papers presented, as the discussion below makes clear, ranged widely in subject matter and theoretical perspective and addressed issues of concern both to individual countries and to regions of the world. While some of the papers use comparison as an approach, it remains a matter of concern that the comparative perspective is so little in evidence. It is hoped that the com parative research approach will be more in evidence in the future."

This collection of readings aims to provide readers with a critical perspective on the unfolding educational policies of South Africa and provides a platform for participating in future educational debates.

Empire and Education in Africa brings together a rich body of scholarship on the history of education in colonial Africa. It provides a unique contribution to the historiography of education in different African countries and a useful point of entry for scholars new to the field of African colonial education. The collection includes case studies from South Africa, Ethiopia, Madagascar, French West Africa (Afrique Occidentale Francaise) and Tanzania (then Tanganyika). It will therefore prove invaluable for scholars in the histories of French, British and German colonialism in Africa. The book examines similarities and differences in approaches to education across a broad geographical and chronological framework, with chapters focusing on the period between 1830 and 1950. The chapters highlight some central concerns in writing histories of education that transcend geographic or imperial boundaries. The text addresses the relationship between voluntary societies' role in education provision and state education. The book also deals with 'adapted' education: what kind of education was appropriate to African people or African contexts, and how did this differ across and between colonial contexts? Finally, many of the chapters deal with issues of gender in colonial education, showing how issues of gender were central to education provision in Africa.

Empire and Education in Africa brings together a rich body of scholarship on the history of education in colonial Africa. It provides a unique contribution to the historiography of education in different African countries and a useful point of entry for scholars new to the field of African colonial education. The collection includes case studies from South Africa, Ethiopia, Madagascar, French West Africa (Afrique Occidentale Francaise) and Tanzania (then Tanganyika). It will therefore prove invaluable for scholars in the histories of French, British and German colonialism in Africa. The book examines similarities and differences in approaches to education across a broad geographical and chronological framework, with chapters focusing on the period between 1830 and 1950. The chapters highlight some central concerns in writing histories of education that transcend geographic or imperial boundaries. The text addresses the relationship between voluntary societies' role in education provision and state education. The book also deals with 'adapted' education: what kind of education was appropriate to African people or African contexts, and how did this differ across and between colonial contexts? Finally, many of the chapters deal with issues of gender in colonial education, showing how issues of gender were central to education provision in Africa.