Overview

Westerners have long represented Africans as “backwards,” “primitive,” and “unintelligent,” distortions which have opened the door for American philanthropies to push their own education agendas in Africa. We Come as Members of the Superior Race discusses the origin and history of these dangerous stereotypes and western “infantilization” of African societies, exploring how their legacy continues to inform contemporary educational and development discourses. By viewing African societies as subordinated in a global geopolitical order, these problematic stereotypes continue to influence education policy and research in Sub-Sahara Africa today.

Full Product Details

Author:   Obed Mfum-Mensah
Publisher:   Berghahn Books
Imprint:   Berghahn Books
ISBN:  

9781789209136

ISBN 10:   1789209137
Pages:   202
Publication Date:   06 October 2020
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction Part I: Western Distortions and Stereotypes about Sub-Saharan Africa Chapter 1. Theorization and “Africa” in European-American Imaginations Chapter 2. “Dirty Gossips” and a Different “Africa” in the Global Geopolitical Order Chapter 3. Architects of European “Dirty Gossips” about Africa Part II: Effects of Distortions on Education and Development Discourses in Sub-Saharan Africa Chapter 4. Education and Social Stratification in Sub-Saharan Africa Chapter 5. American Philanthropy and Industrial Education for Black Africans Chapter 6. Philanthropy, Education, and Race Relations in Sub-Saharan Africa Chapter 7. A Generation of Slackers and Lazy-People Demanding Handouts? Chapter 8. The Political Economy of Affirmative Initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa Chapter 9. “Dirty Gossip” and Education Policy Discourse in Sub-Saharan Africa Conclusion Bibliography

Reviews

We Come as Members of a Superior Race interrogates European colonialism and neocolonial policies, searching deep into the history of Africans' encounters with Europeans and the dark ideas that the latter held of Africans as a backdrop for exploring detrimental education policies . Martha Donkor, West Chester University

Author Information

Obed Mfum-Mensah is Professor of Sociology of Education at Messiah University at Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. His research includes postcolonial analysis of education policy and knowledge transfer in Sub-Saharan Africa, education of marginalized groups, curriculum theorizing, and alternative forms of schooling in the developing world.

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