This book explores the influence of neoliberal globalisation on African higher education, considering the impact of the politics of neoliberal ideology on the nature and sources of knowledge in African universities.
Written by African scholars, the book engages with debates around the commodification of knowledge, socially just knowledge, knowledge transformation, collaboration, and partnerships, and indigenous knowledge systems. It challenges the neoliberal approach to knowledge production and dissemination in African universities and contributes to debates around decolonising knowledge production in Africa. The chapters draw on experiences from universities in different sub-Saharan countries to show how the manifestation of neo-colonialism through the pursuit of the hegemonic neoliberal philosophy is impacting on decolonising university knowledge in Africa.
Providing a unique critique of the impact of neoliberal higher education in Africa, the book will be essential reading for researchers, scholars, and postgraduate students in the field of Sociology of Education, decolonising education, Inclusive Education, and Education Policy.
Author(s): Amasa P. Ndofirepi, Felix Maringe, Simon Vurayai, Gloria Erima
Series: Routledge Research in Decolonizing Education
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 173
City: London
Cover
Half Title
Series Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
List of Abbreviations
List of Contributors
Chapter 1: Questioning the Neoliberal Agenda: What is to Know in the African University?
Introduction
Neoliberalism as an Ideology
The Neoliberal African University
African Ways of Knowing
A Decolonised African University
References
Chapter 2: Can/Should African Universities be World-Class?: A Critical Purview
Introduction
The Role of the University
The Concept of a World-Class University
The African University: Towards Delineation
The African University as World-Class
Elitism and Meritocracy Emphasised
Flagship University: The Way Forward
Concluding Remarks
References
Chapter 3: The African University in the Neoliberal Era: In Pursuit of Socially-Just Knowledges in the 21st Century
Introduction
Conceptions of the Neoliberal
Neoliberalism and University Education
University Knowledges in the Neoliberal Era
Towards an African Renaissance in the 21st Century
The African University in the Era of Neoliberalism
The Place of Knowledge in the African University
Moving Forward
Concluding Remarks
References
Chapter 4: Authoritarian Neoliberalism, Kleptocracy and the Complicity of the African Academe
Introduction
Authoritarian Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism in Southern Africa
Theoretical Conceptions: Critical Anti-Colonial and Post-Colonial Approaches
The Zimbabwean Academe in Historical Perspective
Academics’ Perspectives and Experiences: Narrating the Crisis
Authoritarian Neoliberalism(s), Academic Consciousness and/or Complicity
Conclusions and Recommendations
References
Chapter 5: Commodification of Knowledge in the African University: Prospects for Market-Led Higher Education
Introduction
The Notion of Commodification
Commodification of Knowledge and the Neoliberal Mantra
The Emergence and Rise of the African University: Past to Present
The Modern University in Africa
Perspectives of Commodification in Contemporary Universities in Africa
Charting the Way Forward
Conclusion
Note
References
Chapter 6: Reclaiming the Identity of an African University in the Context of Globalisation: Prospects and Entrenched Challenges
Introduction
Theoretical Underpinnings of Identity
Imagining an African University: The Search for an Identity
Challenges Faced by an African University in Forging an Identity
The Identity of the African University in the Context of Globalisation
Conclusion
References
Chapter 7: Utilisation of Indigenous Knowledge in the Teaching and Learning of Disaster Management in Zimbabwean Universities
Defining Indigenous Knowledge
Introduction
Challenges of Utilisation of Indigenous Knowledge in Zimbabwean Education
Theoretical Framework: Afrocentrism
Methods and Materials
Ethical Considerations
Permission from the Location
Informed Consent and Voluntary Participation
Anonymity and Confidentiality
Presentation of Findings
Disaster Risk Management Programmes in Zimbabwean Universities
The Place of Indigenous Knowledge in Disaster Risk Management Programmes
Barriers to Utilisation of Indigenous Knowledge in the Teaching and Learning of Disaster Management Programmes in Zimbabwean Universities
Opportunities for Utilisation of Indigenous Knowledge in Disaster Risk Management Programmes in Zimbabwean Universities
Discussion
References
Chapter 8: Students’ Transition from Extended to Mainstream Programmes at a South African University
Introduction and Background
Statement of the Problem
Aim of the Study
Research Questions
Critical Realism
Structure
Agency
Individual Agency
Collective Agency
Culture
Decoloniality and the Transition from Extended to Mainstream Programmes
Conceptual Framework
Methodology
Data Analysis
Extended Year Experiences
Mainstream Year Structures and Their Influence on Students’ Experiences of the Transition from Extended Diploma Programmes
Influence of Other Institutional Structures
The Influence of Collective Agency
Influence of Individual Agency
The Culture of Transition to Mainstream Programmes
Conclusions
Recommendations
References
Chapter 9: Scholarly Publications and the Peer-Review Process: Focusing on Decoloniality
Introduction
The Peer-Review Process—the Basic Process
A Focus on Decoloniality
The Scourge of Publishing in Top-Notch Peer-Reviewed Journals Out of Africa
Language
Culture
A Way Forward
Conclusion
References
Chapter 10: The Hegemonic Neoliberal Knowledges in the African University: Which Way Now and Then?
Introduction
Neoliberal Hegemony as an Ideology
Neoliberal Hegemony in the Epistemological Realm
Universities in Africa in the Neoliberal Hegemonic Mix
Towards a Decolonised Epistemological Fund
Winding up the Deliberations: In Search of the Middle
References
Afterword
Index
