Erasure of history, colonialism, and its effects: A critical discourse analysis of the Ghanaian and Pakistani history curricula

• Published in: Journal of curriculum and pedagogy Vol. 22; no. 3; pp. 413 - 440
• Main Authors: Bonney, Edwin Nii, Shad, Sadia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 03.07.2025
• Subjects: curriculum analysis; de/coloniality; critical discourse analysis; Erasure; history teaching
• ISSN: 1550-5170; 2156-8154
• DOI: 10.1080/15505170.2024.2302629

This paper reflects on history education in two postcolonial countries, Pakistan and Ghana, prompted by recent discussions about residential schools in Canada and The 1619 Project in the U.S. Drawing on decolonial theory and Sankofa, we conduct a critical discourse analysis of the history curricula in both countries to examine how colonialism and its consequences are addressed. We focus on what the curriculum says about colonialism/the colonial period in Ghana and Pakistan, and what aspects of these histories are ignored or highlighted. Our analysis reveals that the History curriculum does not problematize colonization and the colonial period in Ghana's history and erases the effects of colonization in the Pakistani context by presenting the process of colonization as mere facts and figures without critical engagement.