Rethinking the Academy: Beyond Eurocentrism in Higher Education

Universities and colleges self-idealize as neutral and value-free, but this is embedded in Eurocentric logic that excludes alternative forms of knowledge and remains racialized, gendered, and sited in coloniality. Efforts to address this gap through multicultural initiatives are insufficient, and moves to decolonize, ungender, and deracialize the academy require a commitment to transformative principles of inclusivity. It remains to be seen if the academia can rise to the challenge of deEurocentrizing the idea of the academy in a post-Eurocentric world.

Format: Hardback
Length: 342 pages
Publication date: 09 July 2021
Publisher: Peter Lang Publishing Inc

Universities and colleges often present themselves as relatively neutral and value-free institutions of higher learning. However, the reality is far from this idealized perception. The Westernized academy is deeply rooted in a Eurocentric logic that excludes alternative forms of knowledge and knowing, perpetuates racialized, gendered, and colonial inequalities in governance, scholarship, and entitlements. Efforts to bridge this gap have primarily focused on diversifying the academy through multicultural initiatives in diversity, inclusion, and equity. While these interventions are a necessary first step, they alone are insufficient to address the academys crisis of legitimacy. To truly transform the academy and overcome its Eurocentric biases, a commitment to the transformative principles of inclusivity is required. This includes addressing the root causes associated with structural barriers and systemic biases that perpetuate inequality. It remains to be seen whether the academia can rise to the challenge of deEurocentrizing the idea of the academy along postEurocentric lines, while also engaging with the emergent demands and evolving realities of a postmulticultural world.

Weight: 571g
Dimension: 225 x 150 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781433176364
Edition number: New ed