Epistemic decolonisation in reconstituting higher education pedagogy in South Africa: the student perspective

ABSTRACT

This paper seeks to understand how the curriculum is experienced across two higher education institutions to probe students’ understandings of epistemic access in the context of decolonisation debates. Three particular aspects of student experience of the decolonised curriculum and pedagogy are scrutinised. First, we look at the kind of sociality encouraged in the pedagogic encounter. Since a core function of education is social and cultural formation, a question arises as to what kind of sociality is possible between students and lecturers in a decolonised education space, including in the context of COVID-19. Second, we explore patterns of participation including, academic activities and support provided. Third, we investigate the knowledge forms and canon to which students are exposed in their respective programmes, with consideration of language issues. Finally, we examine the decolonisation of the curriculum in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

KEYWORDS:

• Decolonisation
• curriculum
• South Africa
• epistemic access
• pedagogy

Acknowledgement

The work reported in this article was supported by the generous financial assistance of the National Research Foundation (NRF), which funds the South African Research Chair in Teaching & Learning, University of Johannesburg; and the South African Research Chair in Teacher Education, Centre for International Teacher Education (CITE), Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). Views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and are not to be attributed to the National Research Foundation or UJ or CPUT.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).