Beyond Rhetoric: A Critical Examination of Decolonization Efforts in South African Universities Post-Mustfall Protests

In South Africa, calls for decolonizing the curriculum and, by extension the university were revived by the RhodesMustFall and FeesMustFall student protests. These MustFall protests centralized issues of epistemic and ontological justice by calling for a rethinking of the university. Like other modern ‘African universities’, South African universities owe their existence to the colonial project. They were established to produce and sustain White supremacist logics which continues to dominate us to this day. This paper critically examines the approach of South African universities toward decolonization in the aftermath of the MustFall protests, contending that current efforts are largely rhetorical and insufficient. Further, while many institutions have adopted decolonization policies, formed committees, and pledged commitment, these actions are often superficial, serving more to placate frustrated students and scholars than to enact genuine (radical) transformation. Using Sociology departments at two Gauteng-based universities as case studies, this paper combines contemporary literature with findings from my MA project to argue that universities have failed to move beyond rhetoric in decolonizing their curricula. Furthermore, it, also holds that current efforts at decolonization, notwithstanding their importance, must be decolonized since they are bastardized, rendering them ineffective and counterproductive to their original intent. The paper further deals with the claim that decolonization erodes academic quality, countering this claim by noting the potential for decolonization to enhance rigor when properly implemented. Finally, it outlines the challenges faced by scholars attempting to decolonize both their curriculum and the university.