Decolonisation in Universities: The Politics of Knowledge

In this collection of case studies and stories from the field, South African scholars come together to trade stories on how to decolonise the university Shortly after the giant bronze statue of Cecil John Rhodes came down at the University of Cape Town, student protestors called for the decolonisation of universities. It was a word hardly heard in South Africa's struggle lexicon and many asked: What exactly is decolonisation? This edited volume brings together the best minds in curriculum theory to address this important question. In the process, several critical questions are raised: Is decolonisation simply a slogan for addressing other pressing concerns on campuses and in society? What is the colonial legacy with respect to curriculum and can it be undone? How is the project of curriculum decolonisation similar to or different from the quest for postcolonial knowledge, indigenous knowledge or a critical theory of knowledge? What does decolonisation mean in a digital age where relationships between knowledge and power are shifting? The book combines strong conceptual analyses with novel case studies of attempts to 'do decolonisation' in settings as diverse as South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania and Mauritius. Such a comparative perspective enables reasonable judgements to be made about the prospects for institutional take-up within the curriculum of century-old universities.

Table of Contents:
Introduction and Overview: The Politics of Curriculum – Jonathan D Jansen Part 1: The arguments for decolonisation Chapter 1 Decolonising universities – Mahmood Mamdani Chapter 2 The curriculum case for decolonization – Lesley Le Grange Part 2: The politics and problems of decolonisationisation Chapter 3 Knowledge, authority and the settled curriculum – Jonathan D Jansen Chapter 4 The institutional curriculum, pedagogy and the decolonisation of the South African university – Lis Lange Chapter 5 What counts and who belongs? Current debates in decolonising the curriculum – Ursula Hoadley and Jaamia Galant Part 3: Doing decolonizationChapter 6 Scaling decolonial consciousness? The reinvention of ‘Africa’ in a neoliberal university – Jess Auerbach, Mlungisi Dlamini and Janice Ndegwa Chapter 7 Testing transgressive thinking: The “Learning Through Enlargement” Initiative at UNISA – Crain Soudien Chapter 8 Between higher and basic education in South Africa: What does decolonisation mean for teacher education? – Yusuf Sayed and Shireen Motala Part 4: Reimaging colonial inheritances Chapter 9 Public Art and/as Curricula: Seeking a new role for monuments associated with oppression – Brenda Schmahmann Chapter 10 The Plastic University: knowledge, disciplines and the decolonial turn – André Keet Chapter 11 Decolonising knowledge: can ubuntu ethics save us from coloniality? – Piet Naude Part 5: Decolonisation and the future Chapter 12 Future knowledges and their implications for the decolonisation project – Achille Mbembe Afterword: Minds via Curricula? – Grant Parker References List of abbreviations Index

About the Author :
Jonathan Jansen is Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, current President of the South African Institute of Race Relations and President of the South African Academy of Science. He is a prolific writer and educationist in South Africa.

Review :
This outstanding collection by some of South Africa’s foremost thinkers will add clarity to the challenges facing our universities … In sharp and interesting ways the contributors remind us of the complexity of the historical moment as we try to fathom the role of universities as social institutions in a severely unequal, deeply divided society. — Ahmed Bawa, Professor and Chief Executive Officer of Universities South Africa This is a long-awaited, incisive and insightful book on decolonising knowledge in university curricula, drawing on key thinkers in the area. It will have immense impact on theory and practice beyond the borders of South Africa. — Shirley Anne Tate, Professor of Race and Education and Director of the Centre for Race, Education and Decoloniality, Carnegie School of Education