Postcolonial identity politics, language and the schools in St. Lucia

Abstract

In the postcolonial era, a cultural nationalist movement has sought to elevate the status of St. Lucia's creole vernacular, Kwéyòl, and with some success – it is now the most visible symbol of St. Lucian national identity. This relatively new development has altered somewhat the historic linguistic status quo between the official, high status English and the historically marginalised Kwéyòl. Postindependence public debate on the role of Kwéyòl in the nation has included a focus on a possible expanded role for the language in St. Lucian schools. However, to date colonial language-in-education policy remains unchanged and Kwéyòl remains officially barred from the classroom. This paper examines colonial educational policy, the development of postcolonial identity politics and the interplay between these politics, on the one hand, and organised efforts and public support to expand Kwéyòl into the formal educational domain, on the other.

Keywords:

• St. Lucia
• postcolonialism
• identity
• language
• education