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Decolonising Knowledge Production: The pedagogic relevance of Ghandian Satyagraha to schooling and education in Ghana

Paul Banahene Adjei 

2007 Ghana, Africa

In this article, I examine how Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non‐violent resistance (Satyagraha) can be applied to decolonize schooling and education practices in Ghana. Satyagraha consists of three fundamental elements: appeal to the oppressor, non‐cooperation, and civil disobedience. Part of an anti‐racist and anti‐colonial dis‐ course, Satyagraha is a strategy, epistemology, and methodology for creating spaces for inclusion of Ghanaian Indigenous knowledge and worldview in school curricula and pedagogy. This article is also informed by my lived experiences and observations as an Indigenous student from Ghana. I conclude the article with a discussion of the benefits and dangers inherent in such transformative work.

anti‐racism, anti‐colonial, non‐violence, spirituality