The neglected past in the South African history curriculum

Abstract

The study examines the problem of the marginalisation of deep African pasts, for example human origins, in the South African National History Curriculum. It looks at the representation of this content from 1994 to the present, and the implications of the removal of this content on South African heritage and identity. The aim of the research is to investigate the repetitive preoccupation with Twentieth Century content prevalent in the history curricula, and to suggest an alternative conversation of deeper African timelines that engage with and challenge perpetual colonial histories that have and continue to contribute, almost unknowingly, to the construction of an African identity and historicity as an advent/product of Colonial Empire. The data and dialogue resulting from this project should continue to engage with and inform debate within the discipline. Support for the educative stance in archaeology is gaining momentum locally and has seen education outreach programmes at the Cradle of Humankind, Iziko Museum and The Origins Centre be developed. The rationale behind the research topic is contained in the necessity for educative relevancy of archaeological histories in history education. The researcher questioned teachers and first year archaeology students about their knowledge of human origins related topics from the school curriculum. The principal objective for this research was to gather and compare the insights of a small group of history teachers and first year archaeology students in order to elicit a deeper understanding of their awareness about archaeology related subjects such as human origins in Africa. The key finding of this research project showed that a familiarity of human origins in South Africa remains largely based on famous fossil finds popularised by the media, and that teachers and students are not exposed to deep African histories by the school curriculum. It further finds that the current history curriculum does not represent early human origins and development in Africa, and other precolonial histories are marginalised and oversimplified. In addition, it was found that extra mural visits to museums and participation in museum education programmes offers one of the only ways for learners and teachers to engage with histories that are not found in the history curriculum. Education workshops and tours by museum and archaeology educators provide a means for school learners to study the archaeological past in South Africa. However, these programmes are often impossible to roll out on a larger scale as a result of funding constraints