2026-10-07T03:18:01Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34037066 2026-09-30T22:01:12Z category_146 category_7 category_21 category_39 category_45 category_734 category_61 category_106 portal_87 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Afrocentric governance, Indigenous Knowledge Systems and sustainable development in South Africa: a decolonial perspective Kazeem Oyedele Lamidi (6924441) Costa Hofisi (25146494) Space Science Medicine Biotechnology Ecology Sociology Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified Developmental Biology Science Policy Indigenous Knowledge Systems epistemic justice systematic review, decoloniality South Africa sustainable development Afrocentric governance post-apartheid governance Social Sciences African Studies Development Studies Sustainable Development <p>This study undertakes a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed articles retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, AJOL, Google Scholar, UPSpace, OpenUCT and JSTOR, using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria to identify studies relevant to Afrocentric governance, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, decoloniality and sustainable development in South Africa. It asserts that hegemonic development approaches, grounded in Eurocentric epistemology, have inadequately addressed South Africa’s development challenges because they prioritize universal, Western models of governance while marginalising Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS), customary institutions and the historical inequalities created by colonialism and apartheid. Using the framework of decolonial theory, the study discusses how IKS can be integrated into state governance, so as to enhance epistemic justice, democratic participation and locally relevant and cultural sensitive approaches to development. The study addresses the four research questions through a systematic synthesis of the literature, by examining the conceptual foundations of Afrocentric governance, the role of IKS, the limitations of Eurocentric governance models, and the implications of these perspectives for sustainable development and policy reform in South Africa. It explores how indigenous modes of managing environment, communality and the socio-political order can enrich local conceptions and processes of sustainable development, while promising challenges include the risk of essentialising IKS and reinforcing local power imbalances. It concludes that a process of fundamental shift towards Afrocentric governance, including recognition of plurality of knowledge systems and equitable distribution of epistemic power among stakeholders, can address the structures of inequalities and promote sustainable development in South Africa.</p> 2026-09-30T22:01:12Z Dataset Dataset 10.6084/m9.figshare.34037066.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Afrocentric_governance_Indigenous_Knowledge_Systems_and_sustainable_development_in_South_Africa_a_decolonial_perspective/34037066 CC BY 4.0