3. Public libraries Founded in the 1960s Located in District capitals 17 Districts at the time No new government-supported libraries established since Decentralized in the 1990s Minimal support from local governments Only a few now used
7. Colonial origins of public libraries Britain passed on an intellectual inheritance to its former colonies which included the idea that the library, particularly the public library, was an essential feature of the complete nation state. What is more, it effectively prescribed the form such libraries should take by the introduction of models in various of its colonial possessions. (Sturges & Neill, 1998, p. 82)
8. Libraries as “colonial” and “inappropriate” Literature in librarianship Alemna 1995 Cram 1993 Lauridsen 1997 Mostert 2001 Ogundipe 1998 Rosenberg 1993
9. Linguistic imperialism Imperialist structure: center dominates periphery (Galtung 1980) Language embedded in and supportive of social, cultural, political structures Dominance of a particular language maintained by hegemony Linguistic imperialism especially associated with English Phillipson, Linguistic Imperialism (1992)
10. English as language of dominance (1) “to use English is to engage in social action which produces and reproduces social and cultural relations” (34) “given the dominant position of English in the world … there are inevitable questions … concerning language and inequality” (34-5) “domination and authority are … effected through discourse” (60) Pennycook, The Cultural Politics of English as an International Language (1994)
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12. Libraries and linguistic imperialism Origin as colonial institutions Library stock predominantly in English Recipients of donated books from USA and UK
14. Objection 1: Agency Linguistic imperialism denies agency to people of the periphery: “passive recipients of language policy” (Brutt-Griffler 2002, vii) “malleable minds” shaped into “false consciousness” (Pennycook 1994, 55-6) “The essential actor is the acquiring speech community” (Brutt-Griffler 2002, 23)
15. Question 1 Who are the agents responsible for UgCLA’s member libraries? Who set them up? Who determines policies? Who uses services?
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17. “I feel that the English language will be able to carry the weight of my African experience. But it will have to be a new English, still in full communion with its ancestral home but altered to suit its new African surroundings.” (Achebe 1975, 103)
25. Evidence Visits to 55 libraries 2008-2010 Discussions at workshops for all member libraries Questionnaire – 12 responses Libraries’ proposals (16) and reports (10) Detailed database for one library (Kitengesa Community Library)
26. Question 1Agency Library leadership Libraries founded by or with foreign individuals or groups – 11 Libraries initiated by Ugandan individuals and families – 36 Libraries associated with local farmers’ groups – 46
33. Question 2Materials Libraries with > 1000 items – 18 Frequent padding out of collections with donated books Preference for locally purchased books: text books story books practical information UgCLA’s Children’s Book Project – 84 books to 10 libraries
36. Question 3Language use Most books in English Newspapers in local languages Oral translation activities Written translation Agricultural pamphlets (Semuliki Information Centre) Children’s books (Kitengesa Community Library) Production of books in local languages Luganda story book (Kabubbu) Lugbara readers (URLCODA, Arua)
43. An exercise in linguistic imperialism? Libraries do advance the linguistic imperialist agenda by providing materials in English They also promote western literacy practices But libraries are not themselves linguistic imperialist institutions Who they are What they do
44. Value of the linguistic imperialism model Focus on center-periphery relations: Libraries address desire for access to information from the center Potential for helping marginalized communities be their own centers
45. The last word Kitengesa student: “When we visit the library we are equal to [urban students]. We also bring our knowledge to the town.” Journal, 13 May 2007