Teaching Names in School History

 

ANS 2023, January 21, 2023 "Teaching Names in School History: A Decolonial Possibility for the Zambian Society" by Chanda Penda (University of Zambia), Yvonne Malambo Kabombwe (University of Zambia), & Martha Kayuni (University of Zambia) Education in the colonial period concentrated on narratives of great men in society and the history of ordinary men and women were neglected. This paper proposes the study of names (anthroponyms) of ordinary men and women in the school history curriculum in Zambia as a way of countering the teaching of narratives of great men in the postcolonial period and promoting “history from below”. This study will be guided by the decolonial theory and paradigm. The study will use the qualitative approach methodology and the historical research design will be used in this study. The study will purposively sample five names of the ordinary men and women who made a great contribution in Zambia but their contribution is missing in the school history curriculum these people include Alick Nkhata, Maina Soko, Nakatindi Yeta Nganga, Zanco Mpundu Mutembo and Levabhai “Kanjombe” Patel. The data will be collected using the archival method and interviews and analysed using content analysis to show the contribution of these ordinary men and women. Recommendations will be given based on findings of the study. CHANDA PENDA is an Onomastician, Cultural Heritage specialist and founder/series editor of Encyclopedia of Zambian Names™, a serial publication since January 2011. Chanda teaches Intangible Cultural Heritage at the University of Zambia and has presented papers at several conferences. His current emphasis is on promotion of indigenous heritage through names. YVONNE MALAMBO KABOMBWE teaches History Teaching methods at the University of Zambia. She has published several articles on curriculum implementation in Zambia. She is currently a PhD student at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. Her research interests are in History, History Education, Curriculum Development and Implementation.