Resisting the Rollback Indigenous Languages, DEI Policy Retrenchment, and the Struggle for Educational Inclusion in Africa

Abstract

This chapter analyses global resistance to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) principles and their implications for indigenous languages within African educational institutions. This study analyses the emergence of anti-DEI ideologies in Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya, focusing on language policy regression, diminished funding for mother-tongue education, and epistemic exclusion. Using Fishman's Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale, Skutnabb-Kangas' language Human Rights framework, and postcolonial theory, this analysis clarifies the structural mechanisms that sustain language inequalities. This study utilises a critical-interpretive approach, incorporating policy analysis, case studies, and grey literature to clarify discrepancies between policy and practice. The chapter highlights grassroots resistance, internet activism, and multilingual innovations as expressions of resilience, underscoring the crucial role of the audience in these efforts.This study contributes to global discourse on educational equity and assertive initiatives to revive indigenous language.