Chapter 5 - Inclusive Education and Diversity in South Africa and Germany – Concepts, Policies, and Historical-Political Paradoxes

Abstract

In this book chapter, the authors will focus on the historical development of inclusive teaching in both the German and South African socio-political contexts. The authors will first summarize the historical context of inclusive teaching with regard to education reform in South Africa and Germany. This study was conducted by scholars from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa and the University of Tübingen in Tübingen, Germany. In this chapter, the authors draw on studies in South Africa and Germany to foreground how discussions on the complex cultural, social, political, and historical sediments have influenced the traction of inclusive education provision in both countries and shaped contemporary school contexts. The authors argue that politico-historical contexts are of critical importance to better understand how the ideas of inclusive education and teaching diversity are expressed and acted upon in unique contemporary school contexts. These findings call for researchers to consider the historical roots that have constrained or enabled inclusive education provision in their country.