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Chapter 4 Exploring Silences in History Education

Abstract

Since the turn of the century, debates around the teaching and representation of the re-unification of Cameroon have dominated national headlines. History education has been highly instrumental in fanning the flames of this controversy through conflicting historical interpretations. A significant aspect of this controversy is the fact that the history curriculum in the Francophone sub-system of education stipulates the teaching of re-unification at the classes de terminale, but the history textbook adopted for use at that level is largely silent on the topic. Against this backdrop, we employed qualitative content analysis and Thomas Huckin’s theory of manipulative silence to analyse the implications of silence on re-unification in a Francophone Cameroon school history textbook. The chapter is informed by a premise that what is absent from the textbook is as powerful as what is represented in it. The findings revealed that the principles of intentionality (to diminish the importance of the topic), deception and advantage as well as the socio-political sensitivity of the topic are important variables for explaining the limited textual coverage on re-unification. Situating the textbook in the bigger picture of re-unification tension supports the view of textbooks serving ideological rather than purely pedagogic functions.

In: Teaching African History in Schools
Neoliberal theory on higher education highlights the challenges faced by academics in the "new times" of academia. Quality-improvement programs and academic accountability mechanisms have been advocated, but the profession's precariousness and stress make early career researchers especially vulnerable. The highly competitive funding environment and increased non-research duties put academics' time and dedication at risk. Early career academics can enhance Sub-Saharan African educational research by contributing effectively to contextually relevant research, collaborating with regional colleagues, and pursuing international collaboration and financing. However, more research is needed to understand the experiences of the new generation of academics and their responses to new performativity criteria.

Contributors are: Ikechi Agbugba, Wiets Botes, Darrell de Klerk, Alan Felix, Claire Gaillard, Dean Langeveldt, Bheki Mngomezulu, Thembeka Myende, Amasa Ndofirepi, Ntombikayise Nkosi, Felix Okoye, June Palmer, Doniwen Pietersen, Percy Sepeng, Kevin Teise, Victor Teise and Yusef Waghid.