Introduction: Historical Trajectories of Education and Development in (Post)Colonial Africa

Abstract

This chapter addresses the historical trajectories of education and development in the twentieth century (post)colonial Africa, framing the main goals of this collective book. It discusses the three key phases during which the economic and social goals of education were profoundly reconfigured. The first phase, spanning the period between 1900 and 1930, coincided with the introduction of the first “native” educational systems in the wake of the “scramble for Africa.” Debates on colonial education subsequently evolved starting from the 1930s. The effects of the Great Depression and the Second World War encouraged more attention being paid to economic and social repercussions of education in colonial contexts. Finally, the independence wave sweeping over the early 1960s opened up a third phase marked by the political aspirations of the new independent states and Cold War rivalries.