The politics of knowledge in South African universities: Students’ perspectives

Transformation in Higher Education

 
 
Field Value
 
Title The politics of knowledge in South African universities: Students’ perspectives
 
Creator Knowles, Corinne R. Babeli, Nomphumelelo Q. Ntlokwana, Athabile Ntombolwana, Zhikona Q. Sobuza, Zinathi Z.
 
Subject Higher Education; Political Studies African feminism; decolonial; knowledge-making; university; first-year students.
Description Knowledge-making in South African universities is set up and framed in particular ways, with a Euro-centric bias. We argue that many of the contributions that African first year entering students could make to this process of knowledge-making are dis-abled, leading to alienation. In this article, we argue for a different perspective and approach to teaching and learning in the humanities. Former Extended Studies students from a South African university have worked collaboratively in a knowledge-making project, and using data generated from this, suggest different kinds of environments and strategies for more inclusive teaching and learning. Using an African feminist theoretical and methodological lens, we consider alternative ways of knowing, and recognition that supports powerful senses of belonging and agency, using examples from student experiences of an Extended Studies humanities programme. We contrast this with how humanities programmes are experienced by some first-year students at the university, sometimes with tragic consequences. Finally, we recommend pedagogic, curricula and extra-curricular changes that can be made, to realise the possibilities of decolonised knowledge-making that is more relevant and inclusive. The authors believe that the ideas around decolonising knowledge that are explored here are more broadly applicable and necessary.Contribution: The article contributes to the conversation on decolonising the humanities curriculum, by including students’ experiences, concerns, and suggestions.
 
Publisher AOSIS Publishing
 
Contributor Dr Siphokazi Magadla, Political and International Studies, Rhodes University,
Date 2023-02-27
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — collaborative African feminist methodology, qualitative
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/the.v8i0.244
 
Source Transformation in Higher Education; Vol 8 (2023); 9 pages 2519-5638 2415-0991
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://thejournal.org.za/index.php/thejournal/article/view/244/526 https://thejournal.org.za/index.php/thejournal/article/view/244/527 https://thejournal.org.za/index.php/thejournal/article/view/244/528 https://thejournal.org.za/index.php/thejournal/article/view/244/529
 
Coverage South Africa Current Black students
Rights Copyright (c) 2023 Corinne R. Knowles, Nomphumelelo Q. Babeli, Athabile Ntlokwana, Zhikona Q. Ntombolwana, Zinathi Z. Sobuza https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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