Toward Building Strategic International University-Society Partnerships in Africa

Main Article Content

Teklu Abate Bekele
Jose Cossa
Sharmistha Barat

Abstract

In order to redefine the university-society relationship, African universities aspire to forge new partnerships with local, national, regional, and international actors. Employing a critical review of the literature and an analysis of the strategic plans of regional African organisations and African universities, this study explores the challenges and opportunities of creating strategic university–society partnerships in Africa. Against a backdrop of African universities fashioned after modernity, the study draws from (1) “Mode 2” knowledge production, “Mode 3” research, entrepreneurial university, and academic capitalism, (2) the helices models and epistemic cultures, (3) power dynamics in international negotiations over educational policy, and (4) uBuntu and Cosmo-uBuntu, to inspire African universities towards contextual relevance and significance. Furthermore, the study proposes a conceptual framework of strategic international university-society partnerships to inform policy making, strategic planning, and further research.

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How to Cite
Bekele, T. A., Cossa, J., & Barat, S. (2022). Toward Building Strategic International University-Society Partnerships in Africa. Modern Africa: Politics, History and Society, 9(2), 82–115. https://doi.org/10.26806/modafr.v9i2.378
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Articles
Author Biographies

Teklu Abate Bekele, The American University in Cairo

Associate Professor of Comparative and International Education at the American University in Cairo. His major research project explores the societal relevance and significance of higher education in Africa through studies of emerging higher education-society engagements and partnerships. His other research areas include international organisations and educational development in the Global South, and emerging knowledge production cultures and context analysis.

Jose Cossa, Penn State University

Associate Professor in the College of Education at Pennsylvania State University. He holds a PhD in Cultural and Educational Policy Studies with a depth area in Comparative and International Education from Loyola University Chicago. He is the author of the book Power, Politics, and Higher Education: International Regimes, Local Governments, and Educational Autonomy.

Sharmistha Barat, Penn State University

He is currently pursuing dual-title doctoral degrees in Lifelong Learning and Adult Education and Comparative and International Education at Pennsylvania State University. She completed her master’s degree in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Counseling from the University of North Texas. Her research interests include grassroots governance models, Indigenous Peoples and indigenous knowledge systems, educational partnerships, labour rights, and social justice issues.