In the previous blog, I explored three key reasons why the Global North continues to dominate knowledge production. (You can read it here if you missed it).
This time, I asked what we can do to shift that landscape – and begin to de-centre knowledge production away from the Global North.
Because – and as Dr Fredrick Wanjala Nafula so aptly summarised, ‘by decolonising our knowledge sources and research methodologies, scholars from all regions can participate equally, and we can prevent a monopoly of knowledge.’
So once again, I spoke with some of the leading decolonisation experts, but this time I asked them what small changes academics can make to start improving, and this is what I learnt:
1. Broaden our definition of knowledge
I first spoke with Dr Piet Naude, director at University of Stellenbosch Business School in South Africa, who told me that we need to broaden our definition of knowledge to recognise research from the global south that may not fit into parameters set by northern countries. For example, we should recognise the importance of knowledge written in indigenous languages.
2. Reflect on the sources we choose
But Naude had a second suggestion too, that I wanted to include on this list. He also suggested that we should reevaluate the case studies, authors, and books we engage with. For example, in his own teaching, Naude has developed a large resource of case studies of African or Latin American companies to add to those from the North, and create a greater repository of knowledge. This is one example of how Southern knowledge can be brought into the domain.
3. Engage with languages, methodologies, and material from outside of the global north
To counter the problematic perceptions, Dr Fredrick Wanjala Nafula explained to me how increased use of African epistemologies can also help level the playing field and achieve equal contributions of knowledge. This could be done by engaging with material produced by global south scholars or written in global south languages, or using global south methodologies in our research.
And my own research has revealed that engaging with southern-led publications such as Feminist Africa, or the Journal of West African History is another way to increase the outreach of global south research.
4. Identify and engage with initiatives
Speaking with Dr Samia Chasi, I learnt about the African Centre of the Study of the United States which was set up in at University of Witwatersrand in South Africa in 2018. She explained how this centre produces research about the north by southern scholars, and therefore reverses the traditional, colonial gaze whilst increasing research output from Africa. This is just one example, and many different initiatives with a similar aim also exist.
5. Cite research produced by academics and institutions outside of the global north
Professor of Education at the University of Washington Tacoma, Christopher Knaus, and associate professor at the University of Copenhagen, Stig Jensen, both explained how important it was to engage with research from smaller universities in the global south. This is because attention tends to focus on the largest universities in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Engaging with research from smaller universities will prevent research from these institutions from being overlooked.
If we, as academics, begin making these small but deliberate changes, we can each play a part in shifting knowledge production away from the Global North – and open up space for more diverse, locally grounded perspectives to shape our collective understanding.
Towards inclusion. Towards equity. Towards global balance.
