Between Social Skills and Marketable Skills: The Politics of Islamic Education in 20th Century Zanzibar

Abstract

The representation of Zanzibar's post-revolutionary history has been influenced since 1964 by a 'civil war of memories' between the supporters of the revolution and its opponents and victims (Loimeier 2006c). Supporters of the revolution contextualize anti-religious policies as being part of a larger policy of 'Africanization', or even completely deny any anti-religious acts. This chapter presents established wisdom about the policies of the revolution, first with respect to educational policies, then with respect to school development, and the development of Qurʾānic schools, and finally syllabus development. An overview of the contemporary situation of different types of school (Qurʾānic schools, government schools and new models of education) concludes this presentation of the course of Islamic education in Zanzibar in post-revolutionary times.