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- Convenors:
-
Michael Bollig
(University of Cologne)
Michaela Pelican (University of Cologne)
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- Stream:
- Social Anthropology
- Location:
- Appleton Tower, Seminar Room 2.04
- Sessions:
- Thursday 13 June, -
Time zone: Europe/London
Short Abstract:
Connections and disruptions are part and parcel of contemporary debates on decolonizing the academy. In this roundtable we wish to discuss different visions of how a decolonized academy will shape knowledge production in future Africa and beyond.
Long Abstract:
Connections and disruptions are part and parcel of contemporary debates on decolonizing the academy. In this roundtable we wish to discuss different visions of how a decolonized academy will shape knowledge production in future Africa and beyond.
The dominance of the Eurocentric epistemic model has been challenged by different actors in Africa and other parts of the world. Student/academic activists, most pronouncedly in South Africa, decry the colonial legacy of African universities and demand a break with the past. They call for African curricula that are tailored to the practical needs of African students and recognize African forms of knowledge production.
In this roundtable, we wish to jointly reflect on the following questions: The current calls for decolonizing the academy are diverse, as different definitions of 'decolonization' and 'curricula' are in use. What is the essence of the definitions employed by different actors? How will higher education in and for future Africa look like? Should African curricula be used only in African universities? How can they contribute to globally applicable curricula? How can advocates of decolonization succeed in their mission when they are complexly involved (for example, through their university affiliations) in producing and disseminating knowledge that has been influenced by the legacy of colonialism? What are alternative models of knowledge production and dissemination, and how could they be applied?
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Thursday 13 June, 2019, -Isaac Nyamongo (Cooperative University of Kenya)
Paper short abstract:
The historical development and institutional context of anthropology varies across East Africa. The paper documents the development in Anthropological teaching and training within East Africa. The utility of anthropology is discussed in the context of political, social and developmental needs.
Paper long abstract:
The historical development and institutional context of anthropology as a discipline varies within and across East Africa. Early Anthropological work in Africa especially in territories occupied by the British was done by missionaries, explorers and colonial administrators. Sally Falk Moore's (1994) book contextualizes contributions by Anthropologists within the colonial framework which greatly restricted their scholarly visions. While Moore focuses on Africanist Anthropologists—mainly American Scholars but also French and some African scholars, Adam Kuper's book (Anthropologists and Anthropology) is more British leaning. These early anthropological roots have impacted the development and direction of Anthropology in Africa. For example, in Kenya, although the first President of the republic, Jomo Kenyatta, was an Anthropologist trained under Brawnislaw Malinowski, Anthropology as a discipline gained a foothold only more recently. A review of the development of Anthropology in Kenya reveals three phases: the pre-independence phase, the period 1963 - 1985 and post 1985 phase. Beginning the mid-1980s, the first anthropology programme in a Kenya University was started at the University of Nairobi. Gradually Anthropology was introduced in other Universities by those who moved out of the University of Nairobi. The paper traces and documents the development in Anthropological teaching and training within the Kenyan context and draws comparisons from East African region. The past and current discourses have influenced the trends and direction that Anthropology has taken. In conclusion, the utility of the discipline is discussed in the context of the wider political, social and developmental needs.
Rosabelle Boswell (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University)
Paper short abstract:
This paper considers changes which have taken place nationally at South Africa's HEIs since 2015-2017. The discussion provides insight into the challenges experienced by the academy, in particular the humanities. It advances the case for multiplicity in the decolonization of the academy.
Paper long abstract:
South Africa has experienced important changes to its HEIs after the national student protests of 2015-2017. This paper offers insight into the changes experienced by the South African 'academy' as it seeks to decolonize after recent national student protests and in the face of declining economy. The discussion proposes that while humanities scholars advocate for change, humanities scholarship has not really been at the heart of the debates concerning the decolonization of the academy. The paper interrogates this situation by drawing on academics' and academic leaders' published narratives, as well as the author's own observations and experiences of leadership and management at a comprehensive university. The author proposes possible ways forward insofar as the decolonization of the academy in Africa is concerned, by turning to currently 'Othered' sources of knowledge.
Ciraj Rassool (University of the Western Cape)
Paper short abstract:
Decolonisation differs between societies that experienced national liberation struggles and those that didn't, which influenced disciplines and their contests. Peculiar variations in South Africa arose due to apartheid, race and anti-racist struggles, and new desires for postapartheid indigeneity
Paper long abstract:
Decolonisation differs between societies that experienced national liberation struggles and those that didn't, pressures from which influenced discipinary configurations and contestations. This is especially about those societies that saw the rise of African History as a means of challenging the divide between history and anthropology. Peculiar variations in South Africa arose because of apartheid and race and anti-racist struggles, and new desires for postapartheid indigeneity. While the 'native question' may have driven African Studies in colonial times, later demands for more history saw a humanities driven by nationalism, while the main challlenge remains how the dominance of nationalism and developmentalism can be challenged