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South African Language History

Power and Politics

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The Education Systems of Africa

Part of the book series: Global Education Systems ((GES))

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Abstract

The absence of solidarity between South Africa’s distinctive language groups has occurred over a significant amount of time. White supremacy can be followed as far back as colonization – long before the rise of the politically sanctioned racial segregation era. The oppression and subjugation that Blacks endured continually later became a systematic structure under the apartheid regime. During this era, language was one of the tools used as a separating characteristic as well as an instrument of division, isolation, and detachment. This chapter provides a historical perspective of the dominant nature of the English language in a post-democratic South Africa.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Pretoria (UP), Pretoria, South Africa

    Ophélie Dangbégnon

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  1. Ophélie Dangbégnon
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Kolawole Samuel Adeyemo

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Dangbégnon, O. (2021). South African Language History. In: Adeyemo, K.S. (eds) The Education Systems of Africa. Global Education Systems. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44217-0_27

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