Culture and Mass Schooling

Nyhet

The Colonial Roots of Educational Inequality in Africa

Häftad, Engelska, 2026

Av Melina R. Platas, Melina R. (NYU Abu Dhabi) Platas

479 kr

Kommande

Education is central to politics, economic growth, and human well-being. Yet large gaps in levels of education persist across different groups, often for generations. Why? This book argues that culture - specifically, community norms about schooling - plays a central role in explaining the persistence of educational inequality across groups. Melina R. Platas uses the case of the Muslim-Christian education gap in Africa, where Muslims have on average three fewer years of education than Christians, to examine the origins and persistence of educational inequality. She documents the colonial origins of this gap and develops a cultural theory of its persistence, focusing on the case studies of Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda. Platas uses census and survey data from nearly 30 African countries, archival documents, interviews, focus groups, and coordination games to explore this ubiquitous yet underappreciated gap in educational attainment, and to measure divergent schooling norms across religious communities in Africa today.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2026-01-31
Vikt250 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
SerieCambridge Studies in the Comparative Politics of Education
Antal sidor260
FörlagCambridge University Press
ISBN9781009640367

Tillhör följande kategorier

'Why is there a persistent educational gap between Christians and Muslims in Africa, especially in predominantly Muslim areas? This innovative, rich study focuses on the transmission of colonial legacies and community values, and argues that where the colonial project sought to convert Muslims to Christianity, a skepticism about education led to a persistent gap. Melina Platas transforms our understandings of identity, informal institutions, and historical legacies.' Anna Grzymala-Busse, Stanford University