This book is the first of two edited volumes that explore the idea and lived experience of the university in Africa. It embodies our collaborative effort to inquire and illuminate key themes and ideas within the disciplines of sociology, science studies, and higher education studies. Through this work, we aim to provide readers with insights and critical perspectives that can inspire both academic discourse and practical applications in these interconnected fields.
The volume critically assesses the historical and contemporary processes that have shaped the establishment and transformation of universities in Africa. The chapters are derived from the proceedings of two international conferences: “Negotiating the Fabric of the African University – Beyond Locality and Universalism,” which took place in Maputo, Mozambique, in 2022, and “Negotiating the Fabric of the African University – Global Trends and Local Realities,” which was held in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2023. For both conferences, we received generous funding from the Volkswagen Foundation. In addition, our cooperation benefited from the visiting professorship programme “Internationalisation of Higher Education in Times of Global Crisis” funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), which formed the starting point for our collaboration. Finally, our joint work was strengthened by the SDG scholarship programme funded by the University of Bonn.
The submissions following the two conferences have undergone external and editorial peer review. This first volume provides general perspectives, reflections, and a selection of case studies from different regions and higher education systems, highlighting the vibrant debates on the social and institutional life of universities in Africa. Through various accounts, the chapters capture the rich experiences, imaginations, and analyses of students, teachers, researchers, and administrators, showcasing the university as a dynamic lived experience. We metaphorically refer to the process of shaping Africa’s universities and their outcomes as a negotiated social fabric, woven with purpose, and shaped by both ancient legacies and modern innovations. The resulting pattern reflects the powerful identities that connect local and global dimensions of scholarship and institutional life.
Our argument is that the ethos of the “African” university is currently at a crossroads. On the one hand, there are narratives and calls to reclaim the ancient, pre-colonial models of higher learning institutions in Africa in order to emancipate from the European tradition and its colonial heritage. On the other hand, the modern university, as the name suggests, claims a universal
We are well aware that the universalistic picture of the university cannot account for the complex reality of the African university – neither for its past, its present, or its future. However, we also note that amidst of the current resurgence of the decolonisation debate (illustrated by Ndlovu-Gatsheni & Zondi, 2016; Jansen, 2019; Zeleza, 2021) some misconceptions arise that can lead to one-sided callings, replacing the universalistic ideal with an absolutisation of local cultures, national specificities, and truly Africanised epistemologies. The aim of our book is to move beyond this binary and consider the multiversality and the pluriversality of the university in world society. For example, Kasturi Behari-Leak, in her chapter for this volume, suggests a radical reconceptualisation of the “uni-versity” as “pluri-versity.” In other words, the fabric of the African university emerges from the negotiations of its character through a multitude of actors and factors, intersecting global narratives and local models.
This collection represents a crucial advancement in our intellectual and academic focus on African universities and the broader field of higher education studies, hopefully paving the way for ongoing and productive collaboration. Integrating the study of African universities necessitates a significant shift away from simplistic perspectives, whether they are Eurocentric, Afrocentric, or based on binary distinctions like “Global North” and “Global South.” The authors contributing to this volume use the term African university referring to various types of higher education institutions on the African continent. We understand “African” identity without essentialist assertions, recognising the diverse cross-cultural influences on these institutions. Therefore, the terms “African university” and “university in Africa” are mostly used interchangeably in this book – though we are aware of the different meanings of these formulations.
As editors, we open the book with an introductory chapter that reconstructs the conceptual history of the African university. Our argument is that modern universities have experienced significant changes as they transition from Western contexts to diverse global settings, incorporating new characteristics that reshape their identity. In a historical perspective focusing the period between the 1960s and 2010s, we show how a selection of grand narratives and competing models fundamentally shaped our understanding of universities in Africa.
In Chapter 2, Elísio Macamo, a sociologist and professor of African Studies at the University of Basel, Switzerland, explores the relationship between the local and the universal in the African context. He asks whether there is a fundamental difference between the two and shows that if such a difference exists, it must be sought at the level of values. Macamo contends “that to weave the local into university knowledge is to recognise when we are being normative and, therefore, to know the limits of our knowledge claims.”
Chapter 3 is a contribution by the decolonial thinker and educationalist, Kasturi Behari-Leak, from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. She advocates for the reinvention of the university by acknowledging multiple ontologies and co-existence. Behari-Leak particularly explores the notion of pluriversality as a “decolonial alternative that can embody the identity and exercise the agency of the African university in its full ontological density.”
Chapter 4 is authored by Teboho Moja, a professor of higher education at New York University in the United States. She shows how African universities are adapting to the changing landscape of higher education, by developing “new modes of operation.” Moja presents several examples of these innovative practices, such as the integration of indigenous knowledge systems into the curriculum, the use of technology to expand access to education, and the development of partnerships with local communities to promote sustainable development.
In Chapter 5, Mariah Mosomi, an independent higher education researcher in Kenya, uses the concept of “institutional massification” to critique the traditional notion of massification. She explains how the growing higher education landscape in Africa impacts the academic practices at the micro level of higher education institutions. Building on a case study from a public university in Kenya, Mosomi contends that, as global trends and local realities converge, the African University continues to develop a specific contextual fabric that requires the inclusion of local definitions and frameworks.
Chapter 6 is a contribution by Lerato Posholi, an emerging scholar from South Africa, currently affiliated with the University of Basel in Switzerland.
In Chapter 7, Bakheit Mohammed Nur, an anthropologist based at the University of Bayreuth, Germany, brings us another case study. He asserts that African Islamic universities must actively divest from Western epistemic frameworks and prioritise the reconfiguration of knowledge production in the landscape of African higher education. Nur advocates the concept of a contemporary Islamic university in Africa as a structured way to rebuild modern epistemologies rooted in a socio-religious ethos and Muslim worldviews.
Another case study from Northern Africa is presented in Chapter 8 by Leonie Schoelen, an independent higher education scholar, currently affiliated with the University of Johannesburg. Her chapter discusses how universities and academics in Algeria balance global standards with national priorities, addressing the challenges of navigating national higher education policies alongside international expectations. Schoelen focuses, in particular, on how individual researchers deal with the ambivalences between these different expectations.
In Chapter 9, Destin Feutseu Dassi, a higher education practitioner from the Ministry of Higher Education in Cameroon, presents a case study of the University of Dschang, which plays a prominent role in the Cameroonian higher education system. He analyses the university’s development and its impact both nationally and internationally. The chapter highlights how the University of Dschang has adapted to local needs and regional diversity while also aligning with international standards and requirements. Feutseu Dassi suggests that this institution represents a “new model” for the Sub-Saharan African context, serving as a catalyst for development and fulfilling a mission that goes beyond traditional teaching and research roles.
Chapter 10 is the final case study contribution to this volume. It is penned by three South African academics and managers, Laetus O. K. Lategan, Eli M. Bitzer, and Cecilé Swart, affiliated with the Central University of Technology and Stellenbosch University. The authors refer to the Central University of Technology as an exemplary institutional case study. They use publication statistics and graduation rates to demonstrate the professoriate’s roles in the university’s development and capacity-building. Their findings suggest that relevant research and its dissemination can enhance the contributions of universities of technology, thereby emphasising their specific role for the African university system in general.