Decolonising history curricula as challenge or gesture? Perceptions of history educators in British International Schools in Kenya

Abstract

A decolonial approach in education matters because it represents one means of addressing wider social injustice. This study set out to explore perceptions of history educators in international schools in Nairobi, Kenya following a British curriculum and within the context of their Key Stage 3 History curriculum. It aimed to explore the challenges to decolonising history curricula, particularly through examining teachers’ understandings and interpretations of decolonisation, and the practices and values that underpin their engagement. This research is located within the wider field of decolonial theory which challenges dominant western hegemony and colonial modernity (Quijano, 2000; Mignolo & Walsh, 2018) and links these ideas around power and knowledge to the school history curricula, notably the British National Curriculum, which is seen to embody dominant western historical narratives in the guise of powerful knowledge (Young, 2013). It considers the meaning of a decolonised history curriculum within international education and the pivotal role that teachers play in negotiating and transforming curricula knowledge through their pedagogical practice to suit their context. To date, decolonisation of the history curriculum within the British international school sector has not been explored and given its wide potential to challenge historic social injustices in settings where colonialism was once a major feature, makes it a necessary topic for research.

Using a qualitative approach, underpinned by a constructionist epistemological position that holds to the notion that social realities are created by social actors, this study set out to explore participants in their social contexts, that is the British international school. Eleven schools in Nairobi participated in the study. The main data was collected from semi-structured interviews with 11 Kenyan and 8 European history teachers and two Participatory Group Discussions, one of which was comprised of only Kenyan teachers. This data was supplemented by an examination of school history curriculum documents.

Applying a decolonial lens, the data was analysed using an inductive, iterative process of thematic analysis based on Braun and Clark’s (2006) six-phased approach. Analysis showed that British international schools’ engagement with decolonisation, as viewed through the history curriculum, is ‘gestural’ and contrasts with host-nation teachers’ stated willingness to engage. Notably, it was found that power hierarchies, with echoes of coloniality, exist that may be hindering steps towards decolonising the history curriculum and that Kenyan teachers in particular encounter intrinsic and extrinsic challenges which set them apart from their European colleagues.

The study concludes that British international schools, whilst wanting to retain an identity linked to British values and ethos, nevertheless need to engage with and support their teachers in taking epistemic risks to challenge Western hegemonic narratives within their history curricula. This includes taking a more praxis-based approach, encouraging greater collaboration between host-nation and international teachers to facilitate the process of decolonising curriculum.  

Date of Award	13 Nov 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Shona McIntosh (Supervisor) & Michael Fertig (Supervisor)