Decolonising the university: Some thoughts on recontextualising knowledge

In this chapter, I offer my first thoughts on the continuing struggles for decolonising and transforming the public university in South Africa. I rely on Legitimation Code Theory’s epistemic-pedagogic-device to offer some preliminary thoughts on the under-theorised aspect of recontextualising decolonial knowledge into our current curriculum struggles. I argue that the field of recontexualising is often hidden, deeply personal, and constitutes what Bernstein and Apple refer to as the site of the “discursive gap” or “ideology”, that is, the site where, politics, identity, and academic freedom are often contested. I suggest that the field of recontextualising (and its logics) should be seen as one of our most important sites as it seeks to explore academics’ ideology, thoughts, experiences, and view regarding what they deem to be valued and legitimate knowledge in the academy. I end the chapter with some thoughts and recommendations on future research in the recontextualising field, and the decolonial possibilities that are offered.