University of Oxford-CGHE Talk: Academic Freedom and Coloniality of Youth

[Paul Michael]

Dear Colleagues,

I'm pleased to share that I will be presenting my research on Eurocentric-African higher education, students’ academic freedom constraints, and coloniality of youth.

Date & Time: Tuesday, 9 June 2026, 2:00- 3:00 pm (BST) = 3:00 - 4:00 pm (SAST)

Location: Seminar Room D (Department of Education, University of Oxford, 15 Norham Gardens, Oxford, OX2 6PY) and MS Teams

Speaker: Dr Paul K. Michael, University of the Free State

Abstract

Due to the link between culture and development, educating higher education students through and integrating them into their culture are ideals for fostering endogenous development. But Eurocentrism, which emerges from and was solidified through colonialism and its long-term effects, plagues Africa’s higher education, fracturing its students’ cultural identity and limiting their capacity to engender development. In this talk, Paul will discuss Africa’s higher education students’ academic freedom constraints in relation to culture and education from a decolonial perspective. Drawing on what academic freedom might mean in relation to an education that fails to transmit knowledge through and integrate students into their culture, Paul argues that by being overwhelmingly Eurocentric, higher education in contemporary Africa constitutes academic freedom constraints that amount to coloniality of youth.

Register to attend online 👇

https://www.researchcghe.org/events/eurocentric-african-higher-education-students-academic-freedom-constraints-and-coloniality-of-youth/ 

Kind regards,

Paul K. Michael

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