21st century literary and humanities pedagogy: The question of relevance

Abstract

This article explores 21^st century literary and humanities education through the lenses of cultural evolution and socio-economic relevance. The study addresses the problem of how educational policies and curricula shapes knowledge production and how literature and humanities disciplines can re-dynamise their curricula to enhance the labour market access in post-independence Cameroon.  The article argues that the humanities and literary studies, long positioned as the intellectual foundation of nation-building, now occupy a precarious space within the global landscape that is dominated by STEM disciplines in Cameroon. It explores how colonial legacies, post-independence inadequacies and contemporary economic pressures shape education as a tool of modernisation and sustainability leading to national identity. The article contends that renewed relevance can emerge in literature and humanities pedagogy through integrative pedagogies – such as holistic learning, interdisciplinarity, real-world connections, skill development and culturally relevant methods as strategies in Cameroonian pedagogy. It further demonstrates that the humanities and literary studies retain an indispensable role in shaping reflective, resilient and socially grounded citizens. The call, therefore, is for the reimagining of literary studies and the humanities attuned to local and global transformations with the goal of reforming the post-independence educational policy in Cameroon and by extension, Africa. The paper proceeds through conceptual analysis, textual illustrations and policy critique rather than through data collection, measurement and intervention with the major outcome being that literature and the humanities studies in Cameroon need a refocused in teaching to make the discipline(s) find relevance in the post-independence and postmodern context.