Decolonial Perspectives in African Scholarship
Summary
Decolonial perspectives in African scholarship encompass a diverse array of theoretical and methodological interventions aimed at disrupting the enduring legacies of colonialism in knowledge production, education and cultural discourse. Central to this field is the call to centre African epistemologies, challenge Eurocentric canons and foreground indigenous Knowledge Systems as legitimate bases for research and pedagogy. Scholars interrogate the coloniality of power, knowledge and being, exposing how historic dispossession and epistemic injustice continue to shape contemporary governance, social structures and academic institutions. Through the development of Afrocentric frameworks and critical pedagogies, decolonial scholarship seeks not only to recover marginalised voices but also to foster collaborative, justice-oriented research that resonates with local aspirations while contributing to global debates on equity, sustainability and intellectual pluriversity.
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Decolonial Perspectives in African Scholarship publication trend
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Technical terms
Decoloniality: A theoretical stance and praxis that seeks to dismantle colonial power structures within knowledge production, cultural practices and institutional norms.
Coloniality of dispossession: A concept emphasising how colonial strategies relied fundamentally on the dispossession of indigenous populations’ land and resources.
Afrocentricity: An intellectual movement and methodology that centres African perspectives, histories and cultural contexts in the creation of knowledge.
Critical Pedagogy: An educational approach that interrogates and challenges prevailing power relations and hegemonic narratives within teaching and learning.
Indigenous Knowledge Systems: Bodies of knowledge developed by local communities through lived experience, traditions and cultural practices, regarded as valid research foundations.
References
- Addressing colonial and militarized themes in STEM education. Frontiers in Education (2024).
- The development of Afrocentricity: a historical survey. Yesterday and Today (2016).
- Chisi Chako Masimba Mashoma/Kunzi Pakata Sandi Kunzi Ridza: Anthropological Musings on the Coloniality of Dispossession in Africa. Journal of Black Studies (2023).
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