Global South (read African) academics fall victim to the old boys’ network
University staff say scientific journals still favour the Global North and ‘the stains of the colonial legacy still seem to manifest in the international publishing arena’
The academic old boys’ network must fall‚ Africans say in the August edition of the South African Journal of Science. Staff from Unisa and the University of Venda (UV) said international scientific journals were still guided by the legacy of imperialism and colonialism‚ meaning contributions from the Global South — particularly Africa — are treated with disrespect. "The stains of the colonial legacy still seem to manifest in the international publishing arena‚" said Mwazvita Dalu and Ashley Gunter‚ from Unisa’s geography department‚ and UV ecologist Tatenda Dalu. "It appears that all knowledge is often evaluated against ‘expert’ knowledge based on Western scientific paradigms before it is considered valued and useful." Even the National Research Foundation rating system for South African scientists perpetuated the old boys’ network. "[It ranks] a local scientist with more publications in journals of Global North origin higher than those whose publications are mostly in local journal...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.