African Linguistics after #RhodesMustFall : Contextualising the Role of African Languages in Higher Education in Times of Global Change

Abstract

This open access book explores the link between African languages, decolonisation and transformation. It has its origins in a survey of students and instructors at higher education institutions both inside and outside Africa, and takes as a starting point the 2015 student-led #RhodesMustFall movement which spread across universities in South Africa. Many of the questions being asked by #RhodesMustFall found parallels in ongoing discussions across in Europe and North America. This book presents findings from the survey, set against the broader backdrop of calls for decolonisation and transformation, drawing specifically on linguistics teaching, scholarship and research. The findings provide new insights into how African languages and linguistics are framed and engaged with, amidst decolonial struggles in higher education. This book will be relevant to readers with an interest in African languages, social justice, higher education, and decolonisation.