Pedagogies of nation-building : contesting modernities and modernizing schools in (post)colonial Bahrain

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to trace the gendered historical production of the modern school—a key political institution of nation-building. Focusing on 20th century colonial Bahrain, I use Foucauldian discourse analysis to examine archival data collected over 18 months in 2018-2020. I argue that the rise of modern education makes visible deep fissures within a dominant imaginary of the nation as a consolidated formation. My analysis illustrates how the imagined nation emerges in colonial Bahrain as multiple, contested, and fragmented. Modern education becomes a productive site for interrogating nationalist masculinist origin myths. I offer “pedagogies of nation-building” as a conceptual contribution that aims to capture the complexity and serendipity of sociopolitical forces enfolding and unfolding within the modern school. I end by reflecting on the implications of my conceptual arguments on education reform initiatives and pedagogical practices.