The main objective of this work is to investigate how national identity in Cameroon can be constructed around education and language. The specific objectives are the following: To investigate how the education system in Cameroon promotes/ support national identity and nation building, to examine how language can support nation building in Cameroon, to investigate the challenges of nation building in Cameroon.
Since November 2016, Cameroon has witnessed violent conflicts due mainly to its colonially brewed linguistic cum cultural divide. What is now referred to as the ‘Anglophone Crises’ has manifested seriously in the struggle by the English-speaking minority to preserve its language, education and judiciary systems, against perceived threats of assimilation by the majority French-speaking population who tend to dominate the central government, given that they are in majority. Therefore, this work set out to show that the absence of national identities, especially in the languages and education systems adopted by Cameroonians, poses serious challenges to achieving durable peace and sustainable nation-building. A qualitative content analysis was used for the study. Content in the social studies where materials read and collected from both primary and secondary sources to determine patterns and generate themes. The study was analyzed descriptively and presented in graphs, tables, and charts, while critically the study found that although common understanding is growing across the English-speaking and French-speaking Cameroonian population, the State has done far too little to create, popularize, and mainstream concrete tokens of national identity, such that over time the evolved ‘Cameroonian’ identity progressively displaces the alien and divisive “Francophone and Anglophone” identities. Accordingly, a multi-stakeholder, all-inclusive and continuing national dialogue process should be institutionalized to construct national identities to serve pivots upon which national policies on communication, education, and adjudication are anchored. Achieving the above outcomes, however, calls for political will, sincerity of purpose, and sound diversity management and peacebuilding policy implementation capacities.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
1.1.1 The Complexity of the State Cameroon: The Historical Myth
1.1.1.1 The New Cameroon
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Objectives of the study
1.3.1 Main Objective
1.3.2 Specific Objectives
1.4. Research questions
1.4.1 Main Research Question
1.4.2 Specific Research Questions
1.5 Significance of the Study
1.6 Scope of the Study
1.7 Definition of key Terms
1.8 Organization of the study
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1 Literature Review
2.2 Theoretical Framework
2.2.1 Theory of the intermediate theory by Anthony Smith
2.3. GAPS IN THE LITERATURE
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY
3.1 Research Design
3.2 Population and target population
3.3 Sampling techniques and Sample size
3.4 Data collection techniques and instruments
3.4.1 Primary data collection techniques
3.4.2 Face to face interviews (Interview guide)
3.4.3 Secondary data collection
3.4.4 Document
3.4.5 Internet
3.5 Validity and reliability of instruments
3.6 Data analysis and presentation
3.6.1 Content-thematic analysis –Qualitative Method
3.6.2 Formulating the Research Question.
3.6.3 Sample Selection.
3.7 Ethical Consideration
CHAPTER FOUR
4.1 Presentation of Data
4.1.1 Presentation of demographic data of the Respondent
4.2. Presentations of Data according to Specific objective one
4.2.1. Secondary Data Analysis: Education as a support towards nation building
4.2.2 Presentation of Data According to specific objective two
4.2.3 Ethnic Language Identity
4.2.4. Domestic/ individual language identity
4.2.5 Language as a conflict resolver: one language, one nation
4.2.6 Presentation and Discussion of objective three
4.3 Linguistic Discrimination
4.4 Implications of the study for the development
CHAPTER FIVE
5.1 Summary of results concerning objective one
5.2 Summary of findings concerning objective Two
5.3 Summary of Findings Concerning Objective three
5.4 CONCLUSION
5.5 RECOMMENDATIONS
5.6 Limitation of the study
5.7 Suggestions for Further Research
Research Objectives & Key Themes
The primary objective of this thesis is to investigate how national identity in Cameroon can be constructed through education and language to promote durable peace and sustainable nation building. The study addresses the challenges stemming from the country's colonial history and the resulting linguistic and cultural divide.
- The impact of colonial educational systems on national identity.
- The role of language policy and bilingualism in fostering national cohesion.
- The challenges of nation building in a diverse, post-colonial state.
- Strategies for reconstructing a unified "Cameroonian" identity.
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1.1.1 The Complexity of the State Cameroon: The Historical Myth
Cameroon as a state was built in the complexity of different colonial powers. Cameroon is a unitary state where implementation of a program of decentralization is ongoing. In the year 1961, the two Cameroons (former Southern British Cameroons and the French the Republic of Cameroon) were unified to form what was then known as the Federal Republic of Cameroon. Cameroon acts as a gateway and a link to other landlocked Central African countries. At the same time, its geographical, cultural and linguistic diversities has made nation building quite complicated.
Inclusively, Cameroon is the only African country with a history of three colonial rulers. In July 1884, a part of the coastal Cameroon around the city of Douala was annexed to German Empire by a “Germano–Douala treaty”, a treaty signed between the Douala ethnic group leaders and German firms. Gradually, the German Empire penetrated to inlands of the region and conquered the territory, thereby forming the foundations for Cameroon’s borders as they are today. Cameroon was governed as a German protectorate (Schutzgebiet) until 1916, when it was unofficially partitioned between France and Britain countries that fought against Germany in Cameroon during the First World War. (DeLancey and Mokeba 1990).
In 1922, the League of Nations made this arrangement legal when it converted the regions into “mandate territories”. 80 % of the territory and its population were to be governed by the French government, and the remaining 20 % by the United Kingdom. (International Crisis Group 2010a). Due to this division, still today 20 % of the population speak English and 80 % French as a second language (Cumming 2007). Both France and Britain ruled their territories using the traditional chieftaincies as intermediaries of administration. In areas, where there were not enough powerful chieftaincies at hand to be used for collecting taxes or mobilizing labour for plantations or infrastructure construction sites, they were simply created. This created foundations for certain ethnic divisions and tensions of today’s Cameroon. (Geschiere 1993)
Summary of Chapters
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION: This chapter introduces the study's background, problem statement, research objectives, and scope regarding the construction of national identity in Cameroon.
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK: Provides a conceptual review of education, language, and national identity, alongside a theoretical framework based on Anthony Smith's work.
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY: Outlines the qualitative research design, sampling techniques, and data collection methods utilized in the study.
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION: Presents and discusses the findings related to education, language, and national identity in the context of Cameroonian nation building.
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Summarizes the study's results and provides strategic recommendations for policy makers to foster national unity.
Keywords
Peacebuilding, Nation building, Identity, Education, language, policy, Cameroon, Bilingualism, National Integration, Ethnic Identity, Colonialism, Conflict Resolution, Citizenship, Sovereignty, Social cohesion
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research investigates how national identity can be constructed in Cameroon through education and language to support peacebuilding and sustainable nation building.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
Key themes include the impact of colonial history on present-day identities, the effectiveness of official bilingualism, the role of education in national integration, and the challenges posed by ethnic fragmentation.
What is the main research objective?
The primary objective is to determine how the education system and language policies in Cameroon can be leveraged to forge a unified national identity that transcends ethnic and colonial divides.
What research methodology does the author employ?
The study utilizes a qualitative, descriptive, and historical research design, incorporating content analysis of literature, primary data from interviews with experts, and analysis of official documents.
What does the main body of the work address?
The main body examines the historical context of the Cameroonian state, reviews theoretical frameworks regarding nation building, analyzes educational and linguistic policies, and discusses the challenges of implementation.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Peacebuilding, Nation building, Identity, Education, Language policy, and National Integration.
How does the author characterize the "Anglophone Crisis"?
The author views the crisis as an outcome of a deep-seated linguistic and cultural divide, fueled by perceived threats of assimilation and a lack of authentic national identity tokens.
What role does the "politics of regional balance" play in Cameroon?
The author argues that the policy of regional balance, while intended for integration, has often been used as a tool for political gain, leading to division and the prioritization of ethnic loyalty over national cohesion.
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- Pauline Ngongang (Autor:in), 2018, Education and Language. The National Identity In Cameroon, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/948285
