Decolonising knowledge production on Africa: why it�s still necessary and what can be done

Abstract

Contemporary debates on decolonising knowledge production, inclusive of research on Africa, are crucial and challenge researchers to reflect on the legacies of colonial power relations that continue to permeate the production of knowledge about the continent, its peoples, and societies. Yet these are not new debates. Sixty years ago, Ghana�s first president and pan-Africanist leader, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, highlighted the importance of Africa-centred knowledge. Similarly, in the 1980s, Claude Ake advocated for endogenous knowledge production on Africa. But progress has been slow at best, indicated by the enduring predominance of non-African writers on African issues within leading scholarly journals. Thus, we examine why decolonisation of knowledge production remains so necessary and what can be done within the context of scholarly research in the humanities and social sciences. These questions are addressed at two levels, one more practical and one more reflective . At both levels, issues of power inequalities and injustice are critical. At the practical level, the asymmetrical power relations between scholars in the Global North and South are highlighted. At a deeper level, the critiques of contemporary African authors are outlined, all contesting the ongoing coloniality and epistemic injustices that affect knowledge production on Africa, and calling for a more fundamental reorientation of ontological, epistemological, and methodological approaches in order to decolonise knowledge production.

Toward a sociology of evolution in the Anthropocene–Shared intentionality and cooperation through understanding minds

“…Correspondingly, natural and social reality is explained better and better in a linear way and by the evolutionary mechanism of trial and error. Today we know that the development of knowledge is more complex, that there are paradigms, and that science is organized in social contexts of (gendered, postcolonial, South-North and West-East) interests and power relations, of striving for recognition and success (Knorr-Cetina, 1981 ; Leibowitz, 2017 ; Crawford et al, 2021 ). Thus, knowledge development is partly cumulative and–especially in the humanities, cultural studies, and social sciences–works in paradigm cycles and asymmetric power relations.…”

Repositioning of Africa in knowledge production: shaking off historical stigmas � introduction

“…The list of these thought leaders consists amongst others of the following: Ali Mazrui, Amina Mama, Claude Ake, Frantz Fanon, Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Mahmood Mamdani, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, and Thandika Mkandawire (Gumede 2014). In this issue, Crawford et al (2021) outline the reflections and analysis of a number of postcolonial and decolonial scholars, who have contributed to the attempts to liberate Africa from the shackles of coloniality and epistemic injustices that continue to influence knowledge production on Africa and elsewhere in the Global South. In this editorial, we briefly discuss the contributions from three key African academics, Claude Ake, Joseph Ki-Zerbo, and Ngugi wa Thiong'o.…”

“…The first contribution under this theme, 'Decolonising Knowledge Production on Africa: Why It's Still Necessary and What Can Be Done' by Crawford et al (2021), extensively reviews the canon of literature on the marginalisation of African scholarship due to asymmetrical power relations between researchers in the Global North and South. It then proposes practical ways to challenge/counter the status quo.…”

Palestinians Under Israeli Settler Colonialism and “Anglo-Centric” Colonization of Knowledge Production

“…During the past 20 years or so, calls for and debates around the decolonization of knowledge production have increased considerably. 1 However, such calls are not new; they go back to the 1960s and 1970s and likely earlier. 2 For example, Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, emphasized the importance of Africa-centered knowledge in the 1960s.…”

“…2 For example, Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, emphasized the importance of Africa-centered knowledge in the 1960s. 1,3 During the 1970s, Michel Foucault also accentuated the problem of the subjugation of knowledge that has been disqualified as inadequate, or insufficiently elaborated—what he called naïve knowledges, or popular knowledge (le savoir de gens), that is, local, or regional knowledge. 4 He emphasized the dominance of conceptualizations and discourses driven by the West, specifically English-language journals, which reduces research to what is prescribed by particular paradigms and traditions prevalent in English-speaking countries.…”