My GEM journey
My GEM journey
This paper examines meta-colonialism in Ghana’s educational system by examining how colonial values continue to shape schools even after formal colonial rule ended. Using Dr. Hussein A. Bulhan’s concept of meta-colonialism, the paper argues that colonialism not only attacked land, labor, and political power, but also the “world of meaning”: language, identity, beauty, religion, and …
This piece reflects on education reform in postcolonial societies through a personal letter addressed to my mother. In the letter, I connect Ghana’s ongoing conversations about educational reform and digitization to the history of the Tonkin Free School in Vietnam, an anti-colonial education reform movement founded in Hanoi in 1907. By placing Ghana and Vietnam …
I went on a class trip to Kenya with my Global Engagement in Practice class in March. This trip gave me the opportunity to buttress my theoretical knowledge with practical experience, especially in global engagement. I found myself reflecting at length on intercultural theorists we had engaged with in Introduction to Global Engagement, as well …
In my time in Kenya, it was so interesting to see how English functioned across different social settings. I paid careful attention to when people used English, when they shifted into Swahili, and when they used various indigenous languages. My observations reminded me of Alastair Pennycook’s critique of English as not merely a language but …
The River Between by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o is about two rival Gikuyu villages in colonial Kenya, divided by Christianity, traditional beliefs, and the question of female circumcision. Waiyaki, the main character, tries to unite the people through education, but he is caught between tradition and colonial Christian influence. His love for Nyambura, a Christian girl, …
I took a class this semester called Global Engagement in Practice. As part of our curriculum, we engaged with some of Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s work on decolonial theory. We specifically read a chapter from Decolonizing the Mind that focused on the discourse surrounding which language should be used to write African literary works (Wa Thiong’o, 1986). …
I attended an event titled Bangla, Belonging & Beyond during the Power of Language Week and took some field notes. Sonaly Mehnaz stood in front of the room with an orange-patterned scarf elegantly draped around her neck. She stared intently at her laptop screen, slightly fidgeting with her trackpad. My eyes were immediately drawn to …
In Introduction to Global Engagement (CGST 205), we read an article titled “Rethinking the Role of Culture in Educational Equity: From Cultural Competence to Equity Literacy” by Paul Gorski. In this article, Gorski argues that using terms like ‘culture’, ‘cultural competence’, and ‘cultural proficiency’ shifts the central focus from the deep-rooted inequity in educational structures and …
