Federici’s and Robinson’s critiques of capitalism : thinking decolonising higher education in Uganda

Abstract

In this paper, I engage with Silvia Federici’s and Cedric J. Robinson’s critiques of capitalism to explore their relevance for thinking about the decolonisation of higher education in Uganda. I argue that understanding the continuing subordination and exploitation experienced by many participants in higher education requires close attention to the broader socio-economic, political, and culturally mediated inequalities within which higher education is embedded. Grounded in a critical analysis of capitalism, the paper identifies the sources, effects, and subjects of exclusion and discrimination, while also illuminating potential avenues for transformation. It demonstrates that, from its inception under colonial rule in Uganda, higher education has been deeply exclusionary and elitist. The paper further places Federici’s and Robinson’s critiques of capitalism in dialogue with one another and connects these insights to the Ugandan higher education context. Ultimately, the paper underscores the necessity of theorising and practising from the standpoint of the exploited and oppressed, valorising multiple epistemic referents, and fostering collective resistance to the elitist and market-driven structures governing access to higher education. In doing so, it calls for renewed political struggle to compel the state to socialise and democratise access to higher education in Uganda.