George J. Sefa Dei, Alireza Asgharzadeh, Sharon Eblaghie Bahador, and Riyad Ahmed Shahjahan. Schooling and Difference in Africa: Democratic Challenges in a Contemporary Context. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2006. xviii + 333 pp. Charts. References. Index. $39.95. Paper.

Abstract

EDUCATION George J. Sefa Dei, Alireza Asgharzadeh, Sharon Eblaghie Bahador, and Riyad Ahmed Shahjahan. Schooling and Difference in Africa: Democratic Challenges in a Contemporary Context. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2006. xviii + 333 pp. Charts. References. Index. $39.95. Paper. Schooling and Difference in Africa uses an ethnographic approach examine social difference and its relevance schooling in Ghana. Divided into eleven chapters, the book's first four chapters provide theoretical and contextual background the study. Chapter 1 contains a well-presented discussion about social difference and schooling in Africa, with specific emphasis on gender, class, language, ethnicity, and disability. The chapter also provides information about the multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual nature of Ghanaian society as well as the challenges of education in this context. Chapter 2 describes the methodology and logistics of the three-year field study that informs the book. Chapters 3 and 4 weave through the voices of educators, students, and practitioners living in Ghana and Canada, examining their understanding and experience of difference as well as their understanding of the notion of majority/minority and its construction across the many lines of difference existing in Ghana. Each of chapters 5 10 examines aspects of the interface of Ghanaian education with ethnicity, gender, class, physical (dis)ability, language, and religion. The authors draw on a wide range of perspectives offer conclusions on ways that social difference affects educational experience. Chapter 11 compares issues of difference and diversity in the Ghanaian and Canadian education systems. A pervasive theme of the book is that the critical investigation of difference and diversity can contribute a discourse that leads to the promotion of 'educational inclusion' in Ghanaian school settings (3). The authors' critique of the sensitivity of the Ghanaian educational system social difference goes beyond mere theorizing: through both interviews and observations in educational settings, they successfully stimulate critical discussions among a wide range of Ghanaians regarding their understanding and experience of difference in Ghana's education. While this bold approach moves the discussion beyond abstract theory, these strengths present some inherent challenges. The book struggles with geographic representation, and the authors recognize this: While. …