Postcolonial critique of knowledge relations in higher education

Abstract

Neo-colonial relations continue to influence contemporary social relations through which research is done, lived, and learned (Takayama et al., 2016; Breidlid, 2013; Mohanty, 2003). Universities in both the global north and global south where these relationships are played out are often the institutional evidence of previous colonial power structures (Adriansen et al., 2016) and as such, a postcolonial critique of western knowledge systems seems merited. Our understanding of postcolonialism ’accounts for processes of domination that have their origin in European colonisation. These processes extend beyond the period of direct colonisation to take on new forms, notably those of neocolonialism, dependency and the intensification of globalisation’ (Hickling-Hudson & Mayo 2012:2). In light of this, it is important to explore how knowledge systems and practices can be challenged, making possible ‘pedagogies of intellectual equality’ (Singh, 2011).