3 - Sociology of Knowledge in the Era of Academic Dependency in Africa: Issues and Prospects
Corresponding Author(s) : Oludele Albert Ajani
Journal of Higher Education in Africa,
Vol. 18 No. 1 (2020): Journal of Higher Education in Africa: Special Issue on The Politics of Knowledge Production in Africa
Abstract
In recent years, sociology of knowledge – especially in terms of knowledge production, circulation and consumption – has been dominated by the global North, leaving the Third World, Africa included, in a dependent position. Many scholars have described this continued academic dependence as part of overall colonial and postcolonial relations between the centre and periphery, where the former is seen as the thinker, actor and speaker for the latter. There have been various critical agitations for the indigenisation of (social science) knowledge in order to liberate the Third World from the academic dependence that has been in force since the period of African colonisation. This critical review article summarises major contributions and different dimensions of the academic dependency paradigm within the social sciences. The relevance of social science on the continent of Africa, the nature and origin of academic dependence, as well as key areas that require adequate attention for the emancipation of social science knowledge in Africa are discussed. A reinvention of African scholarship is vitally important for epistemic freedom from intellectual dependence. African countries should not give up their exclusive local practices and norms, and must document and preserve them for the present and future generations. They must generate ideas, terminologies and research technologies that are amenable to African social realities.
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- Akiwowo, A., 1983, ‘Ajobi and Ajogbe: Variations of the theme of sociation’. (https://ir.oauife.edu.ng//handle/123456789/3601). 27 May 2021.
- Alatas, S. F., 2003, ‘Academic dependency and the global division of labour in the social sciences’, Current Sociology, Vol. 51, No. 6, pp. 599–613.
- Alatas, S. F., 2006, ‘The autonomous, the universal and the future of sociology’, Current Sociology, Vol. 54, No. 1, pp. 7–23.
- Andrews, N., & Okpanachi, E., 2012, ‘Trends of Epistemic Oppression and Aca- demic Dependency in Africa’s Development: The Need for a New Intellectual Path’, Journal of Pan African Studies, Vol. 5, No. 8, pp. 85–104.
- Arowosegbe, J. O., 2008, ‘The Social Sciences and Knowledge Production in Africa: The Contribution of Claude Ake’, Afrika Spectrum, Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 333–351.
- Beigel, F., 2011, ‘Academic dependency’, Global Dialogue, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 19–20.
- Cardoso, F. H., & Faletto, E., 1979, dependency and development in Latin America, translated by Marjory Mattingly Urquidi, Berkeley: University of California Press, p. 60.
- Dos Santos, T., 1970, ‘The structure of dependence’, American Economic Review, Vol. 60, No. 2, pp. 231–236.
- Dos Santos, T., 1984, ‘The structure of dependence’, in Seligson, M.A., 1984, The Gap Between Rich and Poor: Contending Perspectives on the Political Economy of Development, 1st edition, Routledge.
- Fuglestad, F., 1992, ‘The Trevor-Roper Trap or the Imperialism of History. An Essay’, History in Africa, Vol. 19, pp. 309-326.
- Fouad, T. M., 2018, ‘Academic dependency’, Medicine Anthropology Theory, Vol. 5, No 2.
- Frank, A. G., 1967, Capitalism and underdevelopment in Latin America: Historical studies of Chile and Brazil, New York: NYU Press.
- Gamage, S., 2016, ‘Academic Dependency on Western Disciplinary Knowledge and Captive Mind among South Asian Sociologists: A Critique’, Sociology, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 45–61.
- Hountondji, P. J., 1997, ed., Endogenous knowledge: Research trails, Dakar: CODESRIA.
- MacKenzie, D., 2011, ‘The credit crisis as a problem in the sociology of knowledge’, American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 116, No. 6, pp. 1778–1841.
- Mkandawire, T., 1997, ‘The Social Sciences in Africa: Breaking Local Barriers and Negotiating International Presence. The Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola Distinguished Lecture Presented to the 1996 African Studies Association Annual Meeting’, Afri- can Studies Review, Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 15–36. (https://doi.org/10.2307/525155). 27 May 2021.
- Mouton, J., 2010, ‘The state of social science in sub-Saharan Africa’, World Social Science Report. Paris: UNESCO, pp. 63–67.
- Muller, J., 2016, ‘Knowledge and the curriculum in the sociology of knowledge’, in D. Wyse, L. Hayward and J. Pandya, eds, The SAGE Handbook of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment, SAGE, London, pp. 92–106.
- Ndlovu-Gatsheni, S. J., 2018a, Epistemic freedom in Africa: Deprovincialization and decolonization, Routledge.
- Ndlovu-Gatsheni, S. J., 2018b, ‘The dynamics of epistemological decolonisation in the 21st century: towards epistemic freedom’, Strategic Review for Southern Africa, Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 16–45.
- Ndlovu-Gatsheni, S. J., 2020, ‘The cognitive empire, politics of knowledge and African intellectual productions: reflections on struggles for epistemic freedom and resurgence of decolonisation in the twenty-first century’, Third World Quarterly, pp. 1–20.
- Omobowale, A. O., & Akanle, O., 2017, ‘Asuwada epistemology and globalised sociology: Challenges of the south’, Sociology, Vol. 51, No. 1, pp. 43–59.
- Omobowale, A. O., Akanle, O., Adeniran, A. I., and Adegboyega, K., 2014, ‘Periph- eral scholarship and the context of foreign paid publishing in Nigeria’, Current Sociology, Vol. 62, No. 5, pp. 666–684.
- Onwuzuruigbo, I., 2018, ‘Indigenising Eurocentric sociology: The “captive mind” and five decades of sociology in Nigeria’, Current Sociology, Vol. 66, No. 6, pp. 831–848."
- Oommen, T. K., 1992, ‘Reconciling pluralism and equality: The dilemma of “advanced”societies’, International Review of Sociology, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 141–172.
- Oyekola, I. A., 2018, ‘Culture and Globalisation’, in O. A. Ogunbameru, A. L. Adisa, and D. S. Adekeye, eds., Cross-cultural management: A multidisci- plinary approach, Ile-Ife: Obafemi Awolowo University Press, pp. 81–102. (http://eprints.lmu.edu.ng/1410/1/Culture and GLobalisationCHAPTER6.pdf). 27 May 2021.
- Oyekola, I. A., & Oyeyipo, E. J., 2020, ‘Social Stratification’, in O. A. Ogunbameru, ed., Introductory Sociology, Ile-Ife: Obafemi Awolowo University Press, pp. 125–138.
- Schopf, C. M., 2020, ‘The Coloniality of Global Knowledge Production: Theorizing the Mechanisms of Academic Dependency’, Social Transformations: Journal of the Global South, Vol. 8, No. 2.
- Smelser, N. J., 1998, ‘The rational and the ambivalent in the social sciences’, American Sociological Review, Vol. 63, pp. 1–16.
- Sule, I. D., 2008, ‘Globalisation and The Future of Sociology in The Third World: A Critical Commentary’, NASA The Nigeria Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, Vol. 6.
- Tijssen, R., 2007, ‘Africa’s contribution to the worldwide research literature: New analytical perspectives, trends, and performance indicators’, Scientometrics, Vol. 71, No. 2, pp. 303–327."
References
Akiwowo, A., 1983, ‘Ajobi and Ajogbe: Variations of the theme of sociation’. (https://ir.oauife.edu.ng//handle/123456789/3601). 27 May 2021.
Alatas, S. F., 2003, ‘Academic dependency and the global division of labour in the social sciences’, Current Sociology, Vol. 51, No. 6, pp. 599–613.
Alatas, S. F., 2006, ‘The autonomous, the universal and the future of sociology’, Current Sociology, Vol. 54, No. 1, pp. 7–23.
Andrews, N., & Okpanachi, E., 2012, ‘Trends of Epistemic Oppression and Aca- demic Dependency in Africa’s Development: The Need for a New Intellectual Path’, Journal of Pan African Studies, Vol. 5, No. 8, pp. 85–104.
Arowosegbe, J. O., 2008, ‘The Social Sciences and Knowledge Production in Africa: The Contribution of Claude Ake’, Afrika Spectrum, Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 333–351.
Beigel, F., 2011, ‘Academic dependency’, Global Dialogue, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 19–20.
Cardoso, F. H., & Faletto, E., 1979, dependency and development in Latin America, translated by Marjory Mattingly Urquidi, Berkeley: University of California Press, p. 60.
Dos Santos, T., 1970, ‘The structure of dependence’, American Economic Review, Vol. 60, No. 2, pp. 231–236.
Dos Santos, T., 1984, ‘The structure of dependence’, in Seligson, M.A., 1984, The Gap Between Rich and Poor: Contending Perspectives on the Political Economy of Development, 1st edition, Routledge.
Fuglestad, F., 1992, ‘The Trevor-Roper Trap or the Imperialism of History. An Essay’, History in Africa, Vol. 19, pp. 309-326.
Fouad, T. M., 2018, ‘Academic dependency’, Medicine Anthropology Theory, Vol. 5, No 2.
Frank, A. G., 1967, Capitalism and underdevelopment in Latin America: Historical studies of Chile and Brazil, New York: NYU Press.
Gamage, S., 2016, ‘Academic Dependency on Western Disciplinary Knowledge and Captive Mind among South Asian Sociologists: A Critique’, Sociology, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 45–61.
Hountondji, P. J., 1997, ed., Endogenous knowledge: Research trails, Dakar: CODESRIA.
MacKenzie, D., 2011, ‘The credit crisis as a problem in the sociology of knowledge’, American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 116, No. 6, pp. 1778–1841.
Mkandawire, T., 1997, ‘The Social Sciences in Africa: Breaking Local Barriers and Negotiating International Presence. The Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola Distinguished Lecture Presented to the 1996 African Studies Association Annual Meeting’, Afri- can Studies Review, Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 15–36. (https://doi.org/10.2307/525155). 27 May 2021.
Mouton, J., 2010, ‘The state of social science in sub-Saharan Africa’, World Social Science Report. Paris: UNESCO, pp. 63–67.
Muller, J., 2016, ‘Knowledge and the curriculum in the sociology of knowledge’, in D. Wyse, L. Hayward and J. Pandya, eds, The SAGE Handbook of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment, SAGE, London, pp. 92–106.
Ndlovu-Gatsheni, S. J., 2018a, Epistemic freedom in Africa: Deprovincialization and decolonization, Routledge.
Ndlovu-Gatsheni, S. J., 2018b, ‘The dynamics of epistemological decolonisation in the 21st century: towards epistemic freedom’, Strategic Review for Southern Africa, Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 16–45.
Ndlovu-Gatsheni, S. J., 2020, ‘The cognitive empire, politics of knowledge and African intellectual productions: reflections on struggles for epistemic freedom and resurgence of decolonisation in the twenty-first century’, Third World Quarterly, pp. 1–20.
Omobowale, A. O., & Akanle, O., 2017, ‘Asuwada epistemology and globalised sociology: Challenges of the south’, Sociology, Vol. 51, No. 1, pp. 43–59.
Omobowale, A. O., Akanle, O., Adeniran, A. I., and Adegboyega, K., 2014, ‘Periph- eral scholarship and the context of foreign paid publishing in Nigeria’, Current Sociology, Vol. 62, No. 5, pp. 666–684.
Onwuzuruigbo, I., 2018, ‘Indigenising Eurocentric sociology: The “captive mind” and five decades of sociology in Nigeria’, Current Sociology, Vol. 66, No. 6, pp. 831–848."
Oommen, T. K., 1992, ‘Reconciling pluralism and equality: The dilemma of “advanced”societies’, International Review of Sociology, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 141–172.
Oyekola, I. A., 2018, ‘Culture and Globalisation’, in O. A. Ogunbameru, A. L. Adisa, and D. S. Adekeye, eds., Cross-cultural management: A multidisci- plinary approach, Ile-Ife: Obafemi Awolowo University Press, pp. 81–102. (http://eprints.lmu.edu.ng/1410/1/Culture and GLobalisationCHAPTER6.pdf). 27 May 2021.
Oyekola, I. A., & Oyeyipo, E. J., 2020, ‘Social Stratification’, in O. A. Ogunbameru, ed., Introductory Sociology, Ile-Ife: Obafemi Awolowo University Press, pp. 125–138.
Schopf, C. M., 2020, ‘The Coloniality of Global Knowledge Production: Theorizing the Mechanisms of Academic Dependency’, Social Transformations: Journal of the Global South, Vol. 8, No. 2.
Smelser, N. J., 1998, ‘The rational and the ambivalent in the social sciences’, American Sociological Review, Vol. 63, pp. 1–16.
Sule, I. D., 2008, ‘Globalisation and The Future of Sociology in The Third World: A Critical Commentary’, NASA The Nigeria Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, Vol. 6.
Tijssen, R., 2007, ‘Africa’s contribution to the worldwide research literature: New analytical perspectives, trends, and performance indicators’, Scientometrics, Vol. 71, No. 2, pp. 303–327."