Researching higher education in Africa as a process of meaning-making: Epistemological and theoretical considerations

Govender, Logan

doi:10.17159/2520-9868/i83a01

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Such efforts are critical because most African states still perpetuate language policies that they inherited from their colonial masters (Prah 2009). This justifies persistent calls to decolonise the curriculum (Cross & Govender 2021;Stroud & Kerfoot 2021).…”

Section: Authormentioning

confidence: 93%

From Decolonising the Mind to Kutapanura Pfungwa Dzakatapwa:a translator’s experience

Mambambo

2023

JTSA

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There has been an overwhelming interface between theories in translation, however, practical reflections on translated texts are scanty. This empirical paper evaluates the translation process. It unveils the challenges and the associated strategies from a translator’s experience while doing the first translation of Decolonising the Mind into an African language in Africa: the ChiShona text, Kutapanura Pfungwa Dzakatapwa. It was dubbed “homecoming” by the author, Professor wa Thiong’o. From perspectives relating to intellectualisation and decolonisation, the translator was the key participant in this qualitative inquiry. The translated text was the primary source of data deployed in conjunction with the source text. This research advances that an interdisciplinary approach provides the foundation for eclectic theory in translation studies. Grounded theory informed the theoretical analysis of the translated text from the target audience’s perspective. The study affirms that while translation cannot be guided by straight-jacketed approaches, copyright laws stifle the spontaneous growth of translations into African languages. Translation strategies mutate according to the text type and the languages involved. To this end, the translation of seminal literary works demands unique methods. This translator’s experience enhances narratives and discourses on the notions of translation and decoloniality, as well as the intellectualisation of African languages

show abstract

Section: Authormentioning

confidence: 93%

From Decolonising the Mind to Kutapanura Pfungwa Dzakatapwa:a translator’s experience

Mambambo

2023

JTSA

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…One may refer to the debate about higher education in Africa needing to reinvent itself with its own unique historically based identity (Cross & Govender, 2021;Cross & Ndofirepi, 2017;Letseka, 2019;Adésínà, 2005). Most universities in Africa are currently not fit for purpose.…”

Section: Reflection 2 By Dr Annsilla Nyar-ndlovu: There Is Significan...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing professionalism from within and outside: Reflections of editors of the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa at 10 years

Luescher,

Mason,

Moja

et al. 2023

JSAA

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Journal of Student Affairs in Africa (JSAA) was founded in 2013 with the aim to contribute to professionalizing Student Affairs in Africa. The 10th anniversary of the journal is a good occasion to ask in what ways the editors of the journal think they have contributed to achieving this aim, and what their vision for the future of such contribution is? Using four reflective accounts of six editors of the journal, this article analyses the editors’ reflections on their professional pathways and the role the journal played in them; how they contribute to the professional development of their emerging and established peers by means of their editorship; the challenges they encounter and lessons they have learned; and the visions they have for the future of the journal. By applying Evett’s notions of professionalism, the article shows different types of professionalism signified in the reflective accounts. It finds that the agency of the editors combines standards, ethics, and operating procedures of publishing ‘from outside’ with principles and commitments indigenous to African Student Affairs. In this regard, the JSAA-led professionalization process combines both elements of professionalism ‘from within’ and ‘from outside’. It further highlights commitments of the editors to wellbeing (of students, staff, and communities), professional development and ‘excellence’, deliberate inclusivity and social justice, and a focus on relevance in the African Student Affairs context.

show abstract

“…For students with disabilities, participating actively in practice without support was limited during the pandemic, hence the negative implications for their epistemic access. Cross and Govender (2021) argued that there is a challenge in terms of "social presence" for all diverse students during the pandemic, with social presence being the pedagogic distance in which studentlecturer connection is compromised by lack of physical contact. It could be argued that while lack of social presence presents an emotional disconnect between students and the academic, the experience is exacerbated for students with disabilities, because for them it is not only the disconnect between them and the academic staff, but also other service providers on whom they rely for their epistemic access.…”

Section: Challenge Of Isolation and Emotional Trauma During The Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

The pedagogic domain and epistemic access in South African higher education: The challenges for students with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic

Ndlovu

2022

SAJHE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The unexpected emergence of COVID-19 pandemic has had adverse effects on diverse students’ epistemic access in the context of South African higher education. While this has seen an increasing urge for research to understand epistemic access and success of disadvantaged students, there has not been a specific focus on the issue as it specifically relates to students with disabilities, who are unique in their own way, thereby requiring an intervention that considers their differences. Using the decolonial analytical framework, the article explored the challenges in the pedagogic domain, and their implications for the epistemic access of students with disabilities during the pandemic. Data were collected through the synthesis of international and South African literature on the issue, as it specifically relates to students with disabilities during the pandemic. The key finding was that the pandemic exacerbated the pedagogic challenges already confronted by students with disabilities, thereby gravely affecting their access to learning. The objective of the article was to present the pedagogic challenges and how they have limited students with disabilities’ epistemic access, as exacerbated by the pandemic. This was so that interventions that could assist their learning in the “new normal”, could be thought about, in the South African context, in Africa and globally.

show abstract

Researching higher education in Africa as a process of meaning-making: Epistemological and theoretical considerations

Cited by 8 publications

References 47 publications

From Decolonising the Mind to Kutapanura Pfungwa Dzakatapwa:a translator’s experience

From Decolonising the Mind to Kutapanura Pfungwa Dzakatapwa:a translator’s experience

Developing professionalism from within and outside: Reflections of editors of the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa at 10 years

The pedagogic domain and epistemic access in South African higher education: The challenges for students with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About