
Why ‘decolonization’ has not been radical enough
I always felt slightly uncomfortable when decolonization made its unexpected appearance on South African university campuses in early 2015. Not the concept itself; who could argue with the observation of the lingering effects of colonial knowledge, ideas, and practices within higher education institutions today? No, my unease was not with

Higher education and inequality in Ethiopia: balancing expansion and equity
The Ethiopian higher education system rests on a policy framework that combines rapid expansion with a mission of equity. A major challenge in and of itself, as is evident in the many discrepancies between equity principles and harsh realities, and now disrupted by the (near) complete shutdown of institutes of

Studying Religion in and from Africa
Featured as the continent of religion par excellence, Africa is often situated in contrast to Europe, where religion – especially Christianity – is in decline. There certainly is some truth to such a view. Over and over again, when I touched ground again in Ghana in the course of my

Higher education and inequality in Ethiopia: The effects of COVID-19
Ethiopia’s higher education system has seen its number of universities grow from 2 to 51 in just 22 years. What are the outcomes of the current COVID pandemic, and how does it affect inclusivity? We reflected on these questions in an interview with two experts on Ethiopian higher education: Dr

Decolonisation – A chance to reimagine North-South partners
Decolonisation has become a buzzword in higher education. One of its common calls is to put a more human face to education. With this in mind, I reflect in this piece on decolonisation in relation to North-South partnerships, with consideration of my own life and work. In South Africa, decolonisation