ABSTRACT
Drawing on postmodern, poststructural, and postcolonial perspectives, social theorists, and relevant literature, this chapter examines the discourse around the integration of traditional cultural values and the local community in the formal education in Senegal and Africa n general. Since traditional values and local community are interconnected to traditional education in Senegal and Africa, the study also reviews broadly African traditional education in contrast to modern education to discuss their differences, the relevance, the benefits, and challenges of combining the two types of education.
In the first section of this literature review, I revisit the contribution of social theorists to culture and education in the African postcolonial context. This section draws on existing literature to discuss the social theorists' views on traditional values and rationale, relevance, and benefits of Western education versus African traditional education for the “development” of former colonies. I then review relevant literature about the concepts of education, traditional values, and traditional education in Senegal and Africa followed by a discussion of some attempts made by educational authorities to incorporate traditional values and the local community in the educational system. Lastly, I present the literature on the need for hybridization, “Third Space”, and culturally relevant pedagogies that promote better and increased incorporation of some aspects of traditional values and the local community in the formal education. In the last subsection, I also present some examples and challenges to the greater inclusion of local values and community in formal schooling.
