Researchers propose defiant scholarship to challenge colonial influences in African geography

Cultures · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Researchers examining the field of African geography found that colonial ways of knowing still persist in contemporary studies. The authors argue that these colonial continuities are visible in how human geography is treated in African higher education, the marginalization of certain African regions, and the erasure of racialization's role in African societies.

To address these issues, the authors introduce the concept of 'defiant scholarship.' This approach seeks to work outside dominant academic structures by drawing on a vast intellectual tradition across the continent. While the paper proposes a new framework for anti-racist and decolonial geography, it functions as a theoretical argument rather than an empirical study of specific geographic sites.

Why it matters: New frameworks for African geography aim to resist colonial academic structures and promote decolonial thinking.

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