African Proverbs as Epistemologies of Decolonization by George J. Sefa Dei

African Proverbs as Epistemologies of Decolonization calls for a rethinking of education by engaging African proverbs as valuable and salient epistemologies for contemporary times. The book addresses the pedagogic, instructional, and communicative relevance of African proverbs for decolonizing schooling and education in pluralistic contexts by questioning the instructional, pedagogic, and communications lessons of these proverbs and how they can be employed in the education of contemporary youth. It presents a critical discursive analysis of proverbs from selected African contexts, highlighting the underlying knowledge base that informs these cultural expressions. Explore alongside the book the ways in which these Indigenous teachings can be engaged by schools and educators to further the objective of decolonizing education by providing a framework for character education. This character-based framework equips the learner to be knowledgeable about power, equity, ethics and morality, and to develop a conscience for social responsibility, as well as to embrace traditional notions of self-discipline, probity, and hard work. This text goes beyond the mere documentation of proverbs to tease out how embedded knowledge and cultural referents in these knowledge bases and systems are critical for transforming education for young learners today.

George J. Sefa Dei is Professor of Social Justice Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto (OISE/UT), and is Director for the Centre for Integrative Anti-Racism Studies at the University of Toronto, Canada. His teaching and research interests are in the areas of anti-racism, minority schooling, international development, anti-colonial thought, and Indigenous knowledges systems.

Isaac Nortey Darko is Assistant Professor of Education at Burman University, Alberta, Canada. He spends most of his time, academically and professionally, teaching and engaging in conversations around Indigenous knowledge, spirituality, education/schooling, environmental sustainability, equity, race, health, governance, and information communication technology.

Jadie McDonnell holds an MA in adult education and community development, and in comparative, international, and development education. She is a curriculum design specialist currently working in the field of transformative, trauma-informed education and community development in Canada and Kenya.

Suleyman M. Demi is a PhD candidate and environmental educator with research interests spanning environmental sustainability, social and environmental justice, and Indigenous knowledge and philosophy. He has authored and co-authored articles on traditional ecological knowledge and indigenous foods and chronic diseases, among others.

Harriet Akanmori is a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Her research focuses on the disengagement of minority youth in general and black male youth in particular from high schooling, and on the school-to-prison pipeline in Canada.