Towards Meaningful Decolonisation: The Role of Engaged Anthropology and Academic Coaching in the Decolonisation Project in South African Higher Education

Abstract

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many universities were in the middle of violent student protests linked to the debate on decolonisation in Higher Education. These protests flared up again in March 2021. Since 2015, which saw the emergence of the Fees Must Fall and Rhodes Must Fall movements in South Africa, decolonisation has been on the national agenda. Unfortunately, much of the meaningful debate around decolonisation was, and continued to be right up until just before the outbreak of the pandemic, marred by violent uprisings on various campuses throughout the country. In this article, I pose the question of how Higher Education can strive towards meaningful decolonisation as a necessary step in transforming the higher education landscape. By means of a review of relevant literature, I argue that engaged anthropology, and its role in academic coaching, can make a valuable contribution to the decolonisation project. The article focuses on the significance of engaged academic anthropology, and how, through its influence on academic coaching, it can be a useful tool in promoting the decolonisation project, by minimising the violent and destructive aspects of decolonisation that have, unfortunately, become an all too familiar part of decolonisation discourse.