Jour fixe: "In the shoes of the African Scientist: The strife towards global acceptance"

Round table discussion with Senayon Olaoluwa (University of Ibadan), Maria Martin ( University of California), and Victor Araujo (University of Zurich) moderated by Abena Yalley (Zukunftskolleg).

Round table discussion is situated in the framework of the “Racism in Academia” event series.

Furthermore the dicussion was combined with a virtual/physical exhibition of the artistic work of Lavi Israel. 

Abstract:

Higher education primarily functions to shape the intellectual mindsets and capabilities of individuals through its philosophical, epistemological and ontological techniques and approaches.   Without doubt, higher education plays a critical and pivotal role in influencing the tenets of society by reflecting global universalities and diverging perspectives. However, the educational culture, even in the context of globalisation, is heavily embedded in inequalities which are played out in brute contexts of race and racial disparities. This panel discussion examines the challenges of African scientist and people of African descent in their quest for global acceptance in academia. The discussion seeks to answer the following questions:

1. How does race influence academic culture in a globalised context and what are the implications on the African Scholar?

2. How do African scholars or scholars with African descent experience racism in academia?

3. What strategies can be effective forms of resistance to the problems of racism or racial inequalities in academia?