Send message to Authors

Paper short abstract

Rethinking academia as a site of resistance, this paper explores activist scholarship and decolonial praxis in the Global South, examining contemporary frameworks, highlighting intersections of academic identities and activism, and academia's role in promoting 'degrowth' and sustainable futures

Paper long abstract

Academia in the Global South is undergoing a transformative shift, driven by activist-scholars challenging colonial legacies, Western paradigms, and dominant knowledge systems. This paper explores how frameworks by Achille Mbembe, Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni, and Ekaterina Chertkovskaya inform activist scholarship in feminist, environmental, and decolonial studies. We interrogate how academic identities intersect with activism, shaping pedagogy, research, and institutional politics. The paper examines how social movements and decolonial thoughts challenge hegemonic epistemologies, and how academia can function as an institution for 'degrowth' and sustainable futures. We argue that intellectual and activist practices are complex and multifaceted, requiring critical reflexivity and collective agency. Drawing on multidisciplinary modes of inquiry, we highlight the importance of local inquiries and the coexistence of multiple epistemologies, or the "ecology of knowledges". This paper seeks to contribute to the ongoing conversation on decolonizing knowledge systems, power imbalances, and methodologies. It aims to nurture a sense of self that is grounded in the complexities of our contexts and committed to transformative learning and social change. We explore the tensions and synergies between academic identities and activism, and how they shape our understanding of knowledge, power, and social justice. Ultimately, we aim to reshape academia as a site of resistance, solidarity, and transformative learning