Attempts to promote social cohesion: School history curricula in post-colonial South Africa and Zimbabwe

Pfuurai Chimbunde, Boitumelo Benjamin Moreeng
University of the Free State, South Africa
Emma Barnett
Sol Plaatje University, South Africa

Despite extensive research into the function of education in promoting social cohesion, the role of the history curricula in promoting solidarity in South Africa and Zimbabwe remains under-researched. Understanding the history curriculum attempts made at the policy level to promote social cohesion by two postcolonial Sub-Saharan countries could unlock useful policy and practice implications for those who seek to mitigate conflicts in heterogeneous societies. Using document analysis, we draw from journal articles and policy documents to explore the attempts made by Zimbabwe and South Africa in history curricula reforms to enhance social cohesion, given the contemporary upsurge of intolerance, exclusion, and discrimination in Sub-Saharan Africa. Findings suggest that while the attempts by South Africa and Zimbabwe to promote social cohesion in the global village are evident, conflicts that emanate from some interferences and manipulations in policy formulation by politicians remain a challenge. We recommend that Sub-Saharan countries craft their history curriculum with minimal interference from politicians, if we aim to propagate social cohesion to improve a sense of belonging, inclusion, participation, recognition, and legitimacy among citizens. Our study contributes insights into how countries can reform and implement history curricula to establish and entrench social cohesion at their level.
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Authors: Dr Pfuurai Chimbunde (corresponding author) is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Social Science and Commerce Education at the University of the Free State, South Africa. His research interests include history education, curriculum issues and social justice education. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3423-2163 Email: chimbundep@gmail.com, chimbunde.p@ufs.ac.za Dr Boitumelo Benjamin Moreeng is the Head of the Social Science and Commerce Education Department in the Faculty of Education at the University of the Free State, South Africa. His research interests include curriculum studies. history education and teacher education. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3644-3140 Email: moreengbb@ufs.ac.za Dr Emma Barnett is currently a lecturer in the Faculty of Education, Sol Plaatje University, South Africa. Her research interests evolve around educational policy implementation and social justice issues in education. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0303-4594 Email: emma.barnett@spu.ac.za Please cite as: Chimbunde, P., Moreeng, B. B. & Barnett, E. (2024). Attempts to promote social cohesion: School history curricula in post-colonial South Africa and Zimbabwe. Issues in Educational Research, 34(3), 888-905. http://www.iier.org.au/iier34/chimbunde.pdf