Narrating and Teaching the Nation: History, Identity and the Politics of Education in the Great Lakes Region of Africa

Abstract

Evidence from around the world has shown the power of narratives in shaping collective identities and memories, as well as in legitimising present status-quos and future actions − including violence and peace. As effective vehicles for anchoring dominant narratives and discourses in society, education systems have typically functioned as key ideological instruments which have time and again been exploited to mould the identity, views and values of the nation’s new generation. Drawing on three cases from Central Africa, namely Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this thesis aims to complement existing studies on the politics of history, identity and education in contested societies. For each case-study, this research examines the evolution of official discourses from the colonial time until today, and the extent to which these have been institutionalised in curricula and textbooks and in educational policies and practices in an effort to legitimise and consolidate given socio-political systems. Upon demonstrating the strong political grip on narrative construction and propagation, and the relentless ideological mobilisation of history, identity and formal education, the thesis assesses the promises and challenges of re-writing and of teaching and learning the controversial and sensitive history of the nation in the context of delicate political transitions from war, dictatorship and mass violence to sustainable peace and democracy. Guided by a desire to give a voice to young people in the region, the study enriches its inquiry with an analysis of narratives that were collected in the field between 2008 and 2011 among 2,500 secondary school students. Based on an extensive qualitative survey, the study explores young people’s representations of the nation and of its history and destiny, as well as their views on the state of history education in their country. Ultimately, the research points to an urgency to reform education, and in particular history teaching, with an eye to better responding to the needs of the region’s youth and of society as a whole.