Teaching African history in South Africa: post-colonial realities between evolution and religion

Abstract

This article describes arguments around and pertinent to a year-long foundation course presently taught at the University of Kwa Zulu-Natal in South Africa. The course, 'Africa in the World' (AITW), is first discussed in terms of objective and structure, followed by a critical evaluation of the circumstances of its development and coordination. A number of obstacles and challenges are examined, along with a contextualization of some of the more problematic aspects for the course's students.