Paper short abstract:

By addressing the case of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope we elaborate on the notion of knowledge frontiers. We understand knowledge frontiers as liminal spaces, where visions of African futures are negotiated and contested in ways that both produce and reshape power and authority.

Paper long abstract:

In this paper we elaborate on the notion of knowledge frontiers to explore the multiple and overlapping ways in which science and technology are shaping a 'knowledge society' in Africa. We understand knowledge frontiers as liminal spaces, where visions of African futures are negotiated and contested in ways that both produce and reshape power and authority. We address these issues through the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope currently under construction in South Africa, which is projected to expand into eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa from the mid-2020s. The SKA is a major global scientific endeavour aimed at expanding knowledge of the universe in ways that have not been possible before, effectively shaping the contours of humanity's knowledge frontier. It articulates a particular vision of the role of science and technology in shaping knowledge production in Africa. In this paper we engage with three important dimensions of the SKA knowledge frontier. First, we examine the SKA as a cutting-edge global scientific project in framing representations of Africa. Second, we examine the SKA within the realm of North-South relationships, and in relation to the global and continental leadership ambitions of post-apartheid South Africa at a time when concerns over de-colonizing knowledge question existing postcolonial relations. Third, we discuss the SKA as a significant land use change that has entailed the establishment of a large astronomy reserve around the core of the infrastructure in the central Karoo.