Editorial: Accelerating Endogenous Knowledge Production in Africa – Contributions from Legal Research

Abstract

The special edition consists of eight (8) papers from a special research project and symposium, conceptualised, organised and led by the Editor (who is a member of the Department of Mercantile and Labour Law at the University of the Western Cape) between 29 and 31 September 2021. This project was undertaken in partnership with the Afrikan Peer Growth Network NPC, a non-profit company co-founded by the Editor for the purpose of promoting autochthonous or endogenous African scholarship. The theme of the symposium "Towards Afrikan-centred participatory knowledge production" echoes the dream expressed in the title of this editorial, which seeks to accelerate endogenous knowledge production on the African continent. This editorial will answer two related questions. The first is: does accelerating or promoting autochthoneity and endogeneity in knowledge production in Africa matter, and if so, why and how does it matter? The second is related to the first, and the question is: in what ways do the contributions to legal research in this special edition help to advance the agenda of enhancing endogenous and decolonised scholarship and knowledge production on the African continent?