In 2000, the Senegalese authorities made basic education a top government priority. Since, they started implementing a series of policies affecting both formal and non-formal educational structures in order to achieve universal primary education (UPE). The UPE became a global standard for the national educational systems of countries worldwide after the 1990s (UNESCO 1990, 2000). This study is based on a review of the scientific literature on the educational policies implemented in Senegal after 2000. It depicts the results of twenty interviews realized in Dakar between April and May 2016 with national authorities, religious figures, Senegalese scientific authorities, and representatives of international organizations. Drawing on Foucault’s approach on subjectivation to interpret the different reactions of Senegalese actors to the UPE global standard, this presentation contributes to the recent debate on the need for new theoretical frameworks to interpret the recent dynamics of resistance to standards issued from globalisation. The presentation focuses on the multiplicity of forms of resistance, from the appropriation of the UPE standard by the Senegalese institutional actors and its transposition into educational policies, to the rejection of the latter by religious actors.

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