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Colonial Education and Women’s Political Behavior in Ghana and Senegal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2020

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Abstract

During Africa’s anti-colonial movements, women in French colonies were less politically active than women in British colonies. Hern examines how differences in British and French education policies in the Gold Coast and Senegal between the 1920s and the 1950s shaped women’s opportunities for participating in nationalist activity and becoming involved in early-independence politics. Compared to girls’ education in Senegal, girls’ education in the Gold Coast was more widespread, came from a variety of providers, and was less focused on domesticity. Women in the Gold Coast were thus more likely to be mobilized as political agents during the nationalist movement and integrated into Ghana’s new independent government.

Résumé

Résumé

Pendant les mouvements anticoloniaux d’Afrique, les femmes dans les colonies françaises étaient moins actives politiquement que les femmes dans les colonies britanniques. Hern examine comment les différences dans les politiques d’éducation britanniques et françaises sur la Côte de l’Or et au Sénégal entre les années 1920 et les années 1950 ont façonné des possibilités pour les femmes de participer à des activités nationalistes et des occasions de s’impliquer dans des politiques d’indépendance de la première heure. Contrairement à l’éducation des filles au Sénégal, l’éducation des filles sur la Côte de l’Or était non seulement plus répandue, provenait d’une variété de prestataires mais était aussi moins axée sur la domesticité. Les femmes de la Côte de l’Or étaient donc plus susceptibles d’être mobilisées en tant qu’agents politiques pendant le mouvement nationaliste et de faire partie du nouveau gouvernement indépendant du Ghana.

Resumo

Resumo

Na história dos movimentos anticoloniais africanos, as mulheres das colónias francesas foram politicamente menos ativas do que as mulheres das colónias britânicas. Hern analisa de que modo as diferentes políticas de educação – britânicas, por um lado, e francesas, por outro –levadas a cabo na Costa do Ouro Britânica e no Senegal entre as décadas de 1920 e de 1950 condicionaram as oportunidades para que as mulheres participassem em atividades nacionalistas e se envolvessem na vida política dos primórdios da independência. Por comparação com a instrução proporcionada às crianças e jovens do sexo feminino no Senegal, a escolaridade feminina estava mais disseminada na Costa do Ouro Britânica, além do que provinha de um conjunto mais alargado de instituições e se centrava menos nas atividades domésticas. Na Costa do Ouro Britânica, portanto, as mulheres encontravam-se em melhores condições para serem mobilizadas enquanto agentes políticos do movimento nacionalista e para integrarem o novo governo do Gana independente.

Keywords

educationcolonial policySenegalGold CoastGhanawomenpolitical behaviornationalist movements
Type
Article
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 64 , Issue 1 , March 2021 , pp. 217 - 241
Copyright
© African Studies Association, 2020

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