ABSTRACT
This theoretical chapter is a critical exposé of the knowledge processes pervading African universities in the 21st century in which a case is made for socially just epistemologies. The chapter argues against the pervasive neoliberalism complemented by the discourses of globalisation and the knowledge economy originating from the North, which continue to shape university knowledge systems in Africa significantly. Theoretical evidence shows how the contemporary African university lacks genuine critical discussion, especially in the context of the perpetual hegemonic unequal epistemological paradigms. Noting that contemporary knowledges in African universities continue to maintain the erstwhile colonisers’ curricula content and pedagogy years after political independence, an argument is proffered for democratic epistemic spaces in the universities in Africa that are socially just, serving the interests and priorities of Africa first before looking at the global.
