(Re)creating spaces for uMunthu: postcolonial theory and environmental education in southern Africa

Abstract

Colonialism goes beyond territorial conquest: it affects one’s epistemological stance, worldviews and perceptions. Although most African countries gained independence in the 1960s, the impacts of colonialism continue to be present through modern-day globalization as a form of neocolonialism. Education systems in many countries in southern Africa continue to be grounded in Western viewpoints, marginalizing local Indigenous ways of knowing and being (I capitalize the word ‘Indigenous’ because it is a proper noun referring to particular people, their knowledges, ways of living, etc.). An increased number of scholars in southern Africa are engaging with counter-hegemonic strategies as frames of analysis to counter the impacts of neocolonialism. This paper reviews environmental education studies in southern Africa that have applied postcolonial theory as a frame of analysis either explicitly or implicitly. Postcolonial theory provides a platform to challenge the dominant truths espoused by Western thought. In doing so, it paves the way for other truths to have space in the knowledge discourses, including the sub-Saharan African worldview of Ubuntu/uMunthu. While many scholars are engaging with counter-hegemonic strategies, the review calls for the need for further research from postcolonial frames not only in southern Africa but also other parts of the world as well.

Keywords:

• Indigenous knowledge
• postcolonial theory
• environmental education
• uMunthu
• southern Africa

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive feedback on the earlier version of the paper. I am also grateful to my PhD supervisor, Dr. Marcia McKenzie for reading my drafts and offering insightful comments.

Notes

1. By Western, I refer to Euro/American.

2. The Levin Institute (2011) defines globalization as ‘a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology.’

3. ‘Western imperial powers’ refer to European countries that had colonies in many parts of the world.

4. I have included the study from Ghana, although Ghana is geographically not located in southern Africa, because I found their strategy for mediating the Western influence consistent with postcolonial theory.