Taking a lead from recent articles in "The History Teacher," the author placed history, popular culture, and historical literacy at the core of a history course entitled "Enchanted Capitalism: Myths, Monsters, and Markets." Drawing on folklore, literature, popular culture, and economics, the course explored the rise of…

Myths are accounts of the origin of societies and institutions not subject to rationalization but often used by historians and philosophers in their quest to study African history; for it is only thus that we can comprehend the various aspects of the continent's history and culture. This paper examines the critical understanding of African…

Building on Ndofirepi's plea for an approach to teaching philosophy to high-school learners in Africa that is a hybrid of western and African thought, I argue that a critical touchstone is needed if the traditional wisdom is to be sifted, and that this can be found in the idea of the questioning and responsible subject. Traditional proverbs and…

Explains how a teacher's trip to Africa reinforced his commitment to a multicultural literature program. Recommends several books that might be incorporated into thematically-driven multicultural units such as "traditional tales,""rites of passage/search for identity,""cultures colliding," and "colonialism and…

Compares the treatment of race in two novels set in Africa with white protagonists, "The Radiance of the King" by Camara Laye and "Henderson the Rain King" by Saul Bellow. Argues that both novels, proceeding differently, create literary myths of racial harmony to replace undesirable, fallacious racist myths. (KH)

Explores the role of language and the related linguistic skills (oracy) in traditional, indigenous African education, addressing the role and nature of proverbs, riddles, word games, arithmetic puzzles, dilemma tales, and fables, myths, and legends as well as the use of praise songs and praise poems in traditional African communities. (Author/SM)