Article: Building Classes: Secondary Schools and Sociopolitical Stratification in Ghana

6th August 2025 | African Studies Review

Building Classes: Secondary Schools and Sociopolitical Stratification in Ghana

This article - based on an African Studies Association Graduate Student Paper award-winning paper - establishes and investigates connections between the physical & sociopolitical architecture of school buildings and social class/ status in Ghana.

Abstract

It is widely accepted that social class in Africa is defined not just by economic metrics but also by social perceptions and individual identifications. Yet less has been written about the mechanisms through which people form these class perceptions and identifications. This article explores how the sociopolitical and physical architecture of schools affects people’s understanding of social class. Using participatory methods with students complemented by architectural studies, focus group discussions, and interviews, Manful shows how young Ghanaians find and place themselves in social classes and other hierarchies through their perceptions and usage of school buildings.