Above: Street in Old Kano, Nigeria, c. 1902 (source: r/AfricanArchitecture)
I am an African transdisciplinary scholar and activist. I love working across disciplines, studying the Archaeology of early African civilisations, specifically African Indigenous Knowledge Systems (AiKS) also known as African Indigenous Knowledge (AiK). My emphasis is on the sciences, a subject that has been largely overlooked in AiKS discussions.
At the heart of my research lies the exploration of the significance and (re)integration of AiKS in global educational structures and knowledge production. I am interested in how AiKS can be used to affirm the identity and connect people of African heritage while challenging the hegemony of Western paradigms. By incorporating indigenous African epistemologies in education systems, my goal is to contribute to an equitable and inclusive academic landscape and promote a more positive self-esteem and union between Africans and African descendants.
More broadly, my research explores the nexus of AiKs, decoloniality and climate justice. I investigate, through the experiences and perspectives of people from Africa and the Diaspora, how traditional African science and culture are employed to overcome oppression, inequalities and climate disruption. My work aims to provide counter-narratives of African backwardness and helplessness, amplifying the underrepresented voices of Africans and African descendants and highlighting their contributions to the global community.
I use mixed research designs and interdisciplinary frameworks, specially Ubuntu philosophy and Critical Race Theory (CRT) to examine responses to colonial legacies and socioeconomic and environmental transformations.
I use mixed research designs and interdisciplinary frameworks, specially Ubuntu philosophy and Critical Race Theory (CRT) to examine responses to colonial legacies and socioeconomic and environmental transformations.
I was awarded a PhD in Critical Development Studies and Political Economy by Cardiff Metropolitan University and received MSc and BSc degrees in Economics from the Sorbonne University. My career has spanned academia and government, across three continents —Africa, Europe/Asia, and the Americas— where I focused on development, politics and education.
I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oxford, leading research on countries at the South of the Sahara in the ‘International Mobility and World Development’ project.
I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oxford, leading research on countries at the South of the Sahara in the ‘International Mobility and World Development’ project.
Read more about my work on the University of Oxford website: www.education.ox.ac.uk/people/gardiana-bandeira-melo
