Postwar literacy campaigns expose colonial legacies in global development narratives
Original framing: “How ‘books for development’ campaigns reveal an unjust global order” — The Conversation - Global
The original framing omits the role of indigenous and local knowledge systems in shaping educational practices. It also fails to acknowledge the historical parallels with missionary education and the ways in which literacy campaigns were used to assimilate indigenous populations. Marginalized voices, particularly from the Global South, are excluded from the narrative of development.
High structural omission detected in mainstream coverage.
This narrative was produced by Western academic and policy institutions to reinforce the legitimacy of postcolonial development paradigms. It serves the interests of former colonial powers by framing their interventions as benevolent rather than extractive. The framing obscures the agency of colonized populations and the role of indigenous knowledge systems in shaping local development.
The voices of marginalized communities are largely absent from the discourse on global literacy. These communities have valuable insights into what constitutes effective education in their own contexts, which are often ignored in favor of Western-centric approaches.
The 'books for development' campaigns reveal a deep-seated colonial logic in global education initiatives, where Western knowledge is positioned as superior and necessary for development.