The process of decolonisation has emerged as a prominent intellectual and political movement in post-colonial societies, seeking to challenge and dismantle the enduring legacies of colonialism, including the perpetuation of power structures, knowledge systems, and epistemologies that continue to influence contemporary societies. Within the academic sphere, the decolonisation of knowledge has become a focal point, with scholars advocating for the deconstruction of entrenched Eurocentric perspectives and the amplification of marginalised voices and experiences. Sociology, as a discipline, faces a significant challenge in decolonising its methodologies, theories, and research topics.
This study endeavours to analyse the theoretical frameworks, methodologies, and content of selected Ph.D. theses to elucidate the progress made in challenging and transforming the predominant Euro-American-centric perspectives within sociology. Anchored in a decolonial theoretical framework which draws from Ndlovu-Gatsheni (2015), Hall (1990) and Jansen (2017), the study systematically explores the extent that Ph.D. theses from the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Sociology Department between 2010 and 2021 have decolonised. The methodology used in this study utilises the Tri-method approach which namely includes systematic literature review, bibliometric analysis, and content analysis to investigate the theses under review.
The results of this investigation sheds light on the strides taken towards decolonising research within a specific academic context. The extent to which the chosen Ph.D. theses embraced decolonisation varied. Some theses overtly engaged with the hard views to decolonising the curriculum, which includes demonstrating a steadfast commitment to the principles of decolonisation, while others advanced the soft views to decolonising, which do not explicitly reference decolonisation, but still contributed significantly to the production of sociological knowledge. To surmise, this review and analysis underscore that decolonial discourses have begun to permeate the sphere of sociological knowledge production at the University of Johannesburg, with select Ph.D. theses explicitly addressing decoloniality. However, it is evident that more work is required to fully integrate decolonial perspectives and methodologies into sociological research at UJ. Such a transformation is crucial to foster an inclusive, diverse, and contextually relevant knowledge production environment.
- Decolonisation of sociological knowledge production : a tri-method approach to a review of South African sociological PhD theses from the University of Johannesburg between 2010 and 2021
- Gregory Thabang Koole
- Nthabiseng Motsemme
- University of Johannesburg; Master of Arts (MA)
- Master of Arts (MA), University of Johannesburg
- 9947009207691
- University of Johannesburg
- Department of Sociology; Faculty of Humanities; University of Johannesburg
- English
- Thesis