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Nostalgia as Pedagogical Practice: Democratic Education in Rural South Africa

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Abstract

Since 1994, South Africa’s Department of Basic Education has focused on curricular changes that reflect the post-apartheid transformation to democracy. Innovations in the classroom, such as a course on “Life Orientation” that trains future citizens, rely upon liberal democratic theory and emphasize specific forms of civic engagement. At the same time, many South Africans have lost hope in democratic transformation, instead fostering disappointment with increasing wealth inequality and liberal legislation. In the rural Eastern Cape, this is expressed as nostalgia for elements of apartheid seen as more secure and allowing for greater cultural autonomy. Teachers in particular malign a government that has legalized gay marriage and abortion while banning corporal punishment, citing these examples as evidence of the erosion of local forms of social reproduction and effective pedagogy. This paper shows how longings for the past can be viewed through the lens of pedagogical practice, suggesting that nostalgia for apartheid forms an integral part of educational experiences for rural youth.

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Notes

  1. In reality, theorists have shown that patriarchy in the Eastern Cape has much of its roots in colonial administration and missionary Christianity, rather than pre-colonial Xhosa social systems (Wilson 1936; Comaroff 1985; Peires 2003).

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Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank the wonderful teachers, administrators, and students of Mhlontlo Municipality who kindly agreed to participate in this project. Inkosi kakhulu!

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Funding

Funding for this project was provided by the University of California Los Angeles’ International Institute and the American Philosophical Society.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, OR, USA

    Amber R. Reed

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  1. Amber R. Reed
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Correspondence to Amber R. Reed.

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Research Involving Human Participants

This study was approved by the University of California, Los Angeles Institutional Review Board (#11003172), and the University of Pennsylvania Institutional Review Board (#821460). It was performed in accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent documents were approved by these institutions. All participants signed informed consent documents, and all minor participants signed youth assent documents and their parents/guardians signs parental informed consent documents.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Reed, A.R. Nostalgia as Pedagogical Practice: Democratic Education in Rural South Africa. JAYS 4, 1–14 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43151-021-00039-3

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