Ending Curriculum Violence and Academic Ancestral Worship: An Afrocentric Perspective on Decolonising Higher Education in Africa
Issue: Vol.4 No.12 Special Issue Article 12 pp.143 -160
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202341213 | Published online 5th December, 2023
© 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
There have been multiple contributions to the decolonisation agenda in Africa since the onset of calls to decolonise education under the auspices of the #RhodesMustFall protests in South Africa. Nevertheless, these efforts have not resulted in the realisation of a truly decolonised higher education. The present study was built on the premise that decolonising higher education requires a deep analysis of how the perpetuation of academic ancestral worship has been used to maintain the dominance of Western epistemologies at the expense of indigenous peoples. Although closely related, this study conceptualised curriculum violence as how the curriculum reinforces imbalances in knowledge production systems while academic ancestral worship is understood as the veneration of Western academic traditions and scholarships over indigenous knowledge and scholars. To effectively argue for an Afrocentric position on ending these pervasive forms of colonialism in education, the researchers used a literature review methodology, which entailed meticulously searching for published literature using keywords. The study’s findings highlight the need to commit to social justice and equity to liberate and transform higher education in Africa using a model that advocates for Afrocentric knowledge creation, validation, and dissemination. This study also raises awareness of curriculum violence and academic ancestral worship. It further increases understanding of their impact on marginalised communities to inform policy and decision-making in educational institutions and lead to the implementation of more inclusive and equitable curricula and practices.
Keywords: Academic Ancestral Worship, Curriculum Violence, Decolonisation, Epistemology, Higher Education
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Bonginkosi Mutongoza is a social justice and transformation researcher and lecturer at the University of Fort Hare. His research predominantly seeks to transform the higher education landscape, and he has participated in several research projects in this area. Dr Mutongoza has published several papers in high-impact journals, book chapters, and local and international conference papers. His publications address critical issues like decolonisation, violence, and inequality in education.
Chrispen Mutanho is a researcher and Science Education lecturer at the University of Fort Hare who holds a PhD in Science Education from Rhodes University, where he taught for six years. His widely published research interests revolve around transformation, social justice in education and how to decolonise the Science curriculum by integrating indigenous knowledge. Dr Mutanho aims to make Science Education accessible to all learners, especially indigenous African learners from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.
Sive Makeleni is the Head of the School of General and Continuing Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Fort Hare. His principal research area is Language Education, and he revolves around themes that emerge from this research area. Dr Makeleni has published several journal articles and book chapters and has attended high-profile conferences at both local and international levels where he has advocated for Language Education. His current project is on preserving indigeneity and the languageness of African languages.
Mutongoza,Bonginkosi Hardy, Mutanho,Chrispen, & Makeleni, Sive. “Ending Curriculum Violence and Academic Ancestral Worship: An Afrocentric Perspective on Decolonising Higher Education in Africa.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 4, no.12 Special Issue (2023): 143 -160. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202341213
© 2023 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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