Development for the Center and Civilization for the Periphery: The First Globalization, Racial Exclusion and Regional School Development in Colombia

Abstract

This chapter shows how the persistence of racism prevented some Colombian regions from transferring the benefits of the first globalization to better performance in education. Colombian education realized a slow but consistent rise after the second half of the nineteenth century and through the mid-twentieth century. However, subnational differences in education performance tended to increase during this period. Using quantitative and qualitative evidence, the chapter shows that the export boom had a differential impact on subnational education because of the reproduction of racism. Specifically, in those regions with a larger proportion of non-white population, national and subnational elites implemented racist educational projects that did not favor the transfer of the benefits of the first globalization to better levels of education for the non-white majority.