Belgian images of the psycho-pedagogical potential of the Congolese during the Colonial Era, 1908-1960.

Autor/in	Depaepe, Marc
Titel	Belgian images of the psycho-pedagogical potential of the Congolese during the Colonial Era, 1908-1960.
Quelle	In: Paedagogica historica, 45 (2009) 6, S. 707-125Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Link als defekt meldenVerfügbarkeit
Beigaben	Illustrationen
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; gedruckt; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0030-9230; 1477-674X
DOI	10.1080/00309230903335660
Schlagwörter	Psychopädagogik; Schulbuch; Rassismus; Belgien; Republik Kongo
Abstract	Starting from the Belgian historiography about the Congo, the article raises the question of the nature of image formation in the mother country as regards thepsychological characteristics and intellectual potential of the Congolese. Twodomains of study may already provide information in this regard. First, the imageof the psycho-pedagogical dispositions of the "African" are readily derived fromthe school discourse that was developed in the textbooks. In their simplicity -elementarisation is simply a central didactic act - the textbooks show how much theimage formation rested on a hardly concealed racist undertone. Second, the scientificdiscourse itself, of course, constitutes an important source of information. However, for this there are fewer studies available. Thus, I have here investigated one sourcediachronically in function of this question. It concerns the popularising journalAfrika-Overzee. On this basis, I come to the conclusion that one can speak onlyof a slow evolution in the stereotypical image of the "negro". Apparently, theconfrontation with the colony gave form not only to the "African" other but also tothe bourgeois self. The old idea of the Congolese as a "primitive savage", whichwent, from the outset, together with superiority feelings as regards Western culture, gave way more and more, also in the scientific discourse about psychology andpedagogy of the 1950s, to faith in the human progress of the "African black".Perhaps, out of fear for the loss and the decline of the Western culture, theopportunities that were offered from the mother country for this remained extremelylimited.
Erfasst von	Leibniz-Institut für Bildungsmedien \| Georg-Eckert-Institut (GEI), Braunschweig
Update	2012/1