Why should a nation invest in her people obtaining higher education? Of what value is university education? Is it just titles? Better jobs? What?
That's basically the question that W.E.B Dubois answers in his seminal work The Souls of black folk. Since the book was published in the second-last century, it's in public domain on the internet. We will be discussing chapter one "Of our spiritual strivings," and chapter three "Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and others."
The second reading is Mahmood Mamdani's article "The Importance of research in a university." Mamdani is also concerned about what PhDs have ended up being in Africa, and addresses the question: what should African PhD students learn? The link to the article is here.
Remember to post your comments and questions by Thursday 7pm.
The African has been depicted as a non-logical individual, at least in Hegelian conceptualization, implying that in doing his things, one cannot compare with the clarity with which the West would do. Of course this has been disputed by the many write up that the African mind has done. The development of African Philosophy is actually a protest to the Hegelian mentality. In reading Du Bois work, I realize that the Negro a faced similar struggles yet with amazing results. Having names such as Booker T. Washington, Du Bois and Blyden of Liberia stand as proof that the black mind is equal to the task. The comment by Du Bois that the Negro was tempted toward quackery and demagogy is disturbing. Is this the reason why institutions in Africa are not taking academics seriously? Does this not juxtapose with Mahmood Mamdani’s findings? Is the way to higher learning only found in the Western world? Has our education system worked out to get our needs to which education should satisfy as Julius Nyerere argues in 'Education for Self Reliance' or do we see the product of our learning in terms of the clerks, teachers and other professionals who graduate year in year out?
ReplyDeleteIn fact, now that I read your observation, my thinking is that PhDs are becoming the clerk of colonial days, just with more papers...
DeleteMahmood Mamdani has articulated what he terms as commercialization of research which has robbed universities of serious primary intellectual research. He is particularly concerned by what he calls the consultancy problem and how to cure it. He notes that the so-called market driven research undertaken by consultants is rarely focused, with “researchers” taking on any and all projects that are available regardless of their expertise or lack of it. Besides, such research incorporates very little reading.
ReplyDeleteIt is clear from this reading that there is need for a new generation of researchers in our institutions of higher learning where research problems are not just mere hunches or projects commissioned by development agencies.
Research problems must be located within intellectual debate arising from the researcher’s survey of literature in his/her field.
And as Du Bois argues, the African mind is not inferior. African researchers therefore need to rise up to the occasion and engage in real intellectual research that will inform future intellectual debate.
I however conclude by posing a few questions: Is it possible for intellectual research and market-driven research to find convergence? Can someone be both a worker and a thinker? And should primary research be an end in itself or a means to an end?
That's a good question. From the top of my head, I would say you can be a worker who thinks, but it will take alot of willpower to achieve it. The corporate/market system currently discourages thinking. Tough question though.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete