Hybrid knowledge systems: an alternative pathway to decolonising higher education in Africa

Abstract

In the wake of persistent criticisms against the entrenched colonial legacy within higher education systems in the global South, decolonisation emerges as a transformative paradigm, disrupting hegemonic ideologies, philosophical orthodoxies, and epistemic violence embedded in Eurocentrism. This paper interrogates entrenched Eurocentric constructs in higher education that have long marginalised knowledge frameworks from the Global South. The paper conceptualises a "third space" as a hybrid epistemic realm where diverse knowledge traditions converge, subverting hegemonic structures and fostering an inclusive synthesis of ways of knowing. It argues that this hybrid space dissolves rigid binaries, affirming the equal legitimacy of epistemic traditions in co-creating a dynamic and inclusive intellectual ecosystem. This theoretical paper is structured in three parts: the first examines the roots and impact of dichotomous thinking in knowledge systems, the second explores hybrid knowledge systems, and the third argues towards the "third space" as a pathway to decolonising higher education in Africa.