Symbolism in education: A comparative legal analysis of symbolism, language and culture in the United States and South Africa

The purposes of this article are to compare and contrast the approaches taken by the US and SA regarding symbolism in education, considering not only symbolism as physical objects, but also symbolism as related to language and culture. First the authors will examine the legal framework that has shaped the current approach to symbolic expression in the US public schools. Second the authors will examine how symbolism is being defined in SA and how the constitututional framework allows for a broader development of symbolism applying to language and culture than currently exists in the US. Although education law in SA does not have the same extensive foundation in case law and statutes as found in the US, SA has developed a sufficient critical mass of materials to support the separate field of education law.