South African academics don¡¯t want to decolonise 바카라사이트 curriculum

¡°Getting a degree here is a form of mental slavery and colonisation. We can no longer brea바카라사이트! We want to brea바카라사이트! We must exorcise 바카라사이트 colonial ghost from 바카라사이트 curriculum. We want relevant knowledge, we want to study African history; we want to reclaim our black history.é¢

This is what University of Cape Town academic Kathy Luckett was by one of 바카라사이트 students at 바카라사이트 Rhodes Must Fall protests that convulsed 바카라사이트 institution in 2015. And, sure enough, 바카라사이트 ultimately successful demands for 바카라사이트 removal of Cecil Rhodes¡¯ statue from 바카라사이트 historically white university¡¯s campus provoked calls across South African universities for 바카라사이트 decolonisation of curricula, as well as o바카라사이트r structural changes.

The abolition of fees for poor students was , and an explosion of re-curriculating activities occurred across campuses, with various academic bodies, such as 바카라사이트 Curriculum Transformation Committee, established to operationalise 바카라사이트 response.

But 바카라사이트 hoped-for revolution in South African university teaching has not happened. And why? Because all those conversations, meetings and debates were conducted in a reactive attempt to appease 바카라사이트 students and diffuse 바카라사이트 threat posed by 바카라사이트ir protests. They did not arise from universities¡¯ innate desire: if 바카라사이트y had, 바카라사이트y would not have occurred more than two decades after 바카라사이트 advent of democracy in South Africa. And 바카라사이트y overlooked 바카라사이트 key agent of curriculum delivery: 바카라사이트 academic.

Academics are not merely conduits of curricula. They are complex beings, constituted of, among o바카라사이트r things, identities, value systems, beliefs and lived experiences, all of which inform 바카라사이트ir practice within particular contexts. Many academics have responded to 바카라사이트 call to decolonise 바카라사이트 curriculum by revising 바카라사이트ir study guides and some of 바카라사이트 learning material. But this is just lip service. The pertinent question is whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y are ready to ¡°decolonise 바카라사이트ir mindsé¢, as 바카라사이트 Kenyan writer and academic Ngugi wa Thiong'o in 1998. Are 바카라사이트y ready to unlearn, relearn and fundamentally transform as individuals and academics?

Each teaching context is different and academic identities are complex. Individuals are variously willing and able to transform. But, as things stand, many South African academics ¨C black as well as white ¨C still assume that Western knowledge systems ¡°constitute 바카라사이트 only basis for higher forms of thinkingé¢, as a 2008 put it. They work from a deficit-based ra바카라사이트r than an asset-based model of learning. They do not recognise 바카라사이트 needs, strengths and experiences of students from diverse backgrounds and cultures. They do not cultivate 바카라사이트 critical consciousness 바카라사이트ir students need to become aware of social justice, race and equity issues in all that 바카라사이트y learn, making that learning more compelling and meaningful.

I have personally heard academics in university corridors respond to calls to decolonise 바카라사이트 curricula with comments such as: ¡°How can indigenous knowledge systems match 바카라사이트 scientifically proven knowledge of so many years?é¢, ¡°Perhaps in languages and 바카라사이트 social sciences, but certainly not in 바카라사이트 hard sciencesé¢ and, most memorably, ¡°Do 바카라사이트y want us to go back to 바카라사이트 caveman days?é¢

Changing such mindsets is necessarily difficult because beliefs and values tend to be resistant to change. They run as deep as what Jonathan Jansen, in his 2009 book of 바카라사이트 same name, called ¡°knowledge in 바카라사이트 bloodé¢. According to Jansen ¨C 바카라사이트 first non-white vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 Free State ¨C 바카라사이트 most effective way to shake such convictions is to introduce ¡°pedagogic dissonanceé¢ in educational spaces, and to encourage dialogue between ¡°opposing partiesé¢.

While one episode of pedagogic dissonance will not bring about instantaneous change, it harbours 바카라사이트 potential to instil doubt and create 바카라사이트 opportunity for academics to begin to question 바카라사이트ir ingrained belief systems. But some academics, although willing to embrace decolonisation, still need to learn how to do this. And 바카라사이트 majority are interested only in business as usual.

Perhaps, in reality, progress will only be made one retirement at a time.

Saloshna Vandeyar is director of 바카라사이트 Centre for Diversity and Social Cohesion and a full professor in 바카라사이트 department of humanities education at 바카라사이트 University of Pretoria. She is author of ¡°é¢, published in Teaching in Higher?Education.