‘Make them roll in their graves’: South African Writing, Decolonisation, and the English Literature A-Level

Helm, Hannah; Barnes, Emma; Barnes, Katie; Munslow Ong, Jade

Abstract

This article analyses the activities and early outcomes of an ongoing co-designed and co-delivered research impact project entitled ‘Decolonising the English Literature A-Level’. It draws on examples from three case studies, classroom experiences, and student and teacher feedback to show how efforts to support the decolonisation of taught content and pedagogies aimed at A-Level learners can generate benefits for students relating to knowledge and understanding; skills development; personal motivation and well-being; academic attainment; and educational and career ambitions and prospects.

Citation

Helm, H., Barnes, E., Barnes, K., & Munslow Ong, J. (in press). ‘Make them roll in their graves’: South African Writing, Decolonisation, and the English Literature A-Level. English in Education, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/04250494.2024.2312189

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 25, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Mar 6, 2024
• Deposit Date: Dec 15, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 7, 2025
• Journal: English in Education
• Print ISSN: 0425-0494
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 1-15
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/04250494.2024.2312189
• Keywords: Literature and Literary Theory, Linguistics and Language, Language and Linguistics, Education