British Colonial Influence on Cypriot Education: Turkish and Greek Cypriot Curricula and Identity (1878-1960)

The influence of British colonial policy on the Cyprus education system is the central concern of this book with particular reference to the effects it had on curriculum development in both Primary and Secondary education. The construction of ethnic, religious and national identities that were continuously exploited, repressed and redefined is examined within a colonial and postcolonial discourse. The effects of British colonialism on the education systems of India, Ireland and Cyprus are compared followed by a detailed analysis of the elementary, secondary curricula of Greek and Turkish Cypriots. The qualitative research into the effect the British administration actually had on the Turkish and Greek Cypriot students attempts to provide a voice to the people of Cyprus that has historically been absent for too long, thus enabling readers to assess colonial effects on Cypriot life in real terms rather than only through a Western, dominant, imperial perspective. Concluding with the implications for the future, this book would be useful for all interested readers and in the courses of history of education, curriculum as cultural text, comparative education or colonial studies.