Since the 1950s when most African countries gained political independence, schooling has presented very difficult challenges. In the discussion of these challenges, however, the issue of diversity has received relatively little attention. Schooling and Difference in Africa aims to understand how differences such as ethnicity, class, gender, language, religion, and disability play out in African schools systems, and more specifically in Ghana.

Together, George J. Sefa Dei, Alireza Asgharzadeh, Sharon Eblaghie Bahador, and Riyad Ahmed Shahjahan promote ‘educational inclusion’ in the context of African schooling. The aspects of diversity explored in this study include: minority / majority relations, race, ethnicity, gender, language, class, religion, and physical (dis)ability. The authors build their analyses of these issues around a series of interviews, which project a perspective that policy makers and administrators rarely seek out. By studying the challenges of inclusive education in Ghana and, further, by making comparisons with the Canadian context, this volume seeks to shed light on the ongoing struggle for an empowering school system in Africa and elsewhere.

Alireza Asgharzadeh is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at York University.

Alireza Asgharzadeh's profile page

George J. Sefa Dei is Professor of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Social Justice Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto.

George J. Sefa Dei's profile page

Sharon Eblaghie is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology and Equity Studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto.

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