University autonomy and academic freedom in the Global South: tensions among the coloniality of knowledge, institutional governance, and epistemic justice in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71112/kvx7sp20Resumo
This research examines contemporary challenges affecting university autonomy and academic freedom in the Global South through a comparative transregional analysis involving Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa. Grounded in the theoretical perspectives of Epistemologies of the South and critical intercultural education, the study analyzes how neoliberal governance models, epistemic dependency, political polarization, bureaucratic control, and symbolic exclusion influence knowledge production, research agendas, and academic freedom in public universities.
The project adopts a mixed-methods comparative design combining quantitative surveys administered to university professors and researchers with qualitative interviews, discourse analysis, and institutional policy review. The research seeks to identify shared structural patterns and contextual differences regarding institutional autonomy, freedom of teaching and research, academic participation, and resistance to political, ideological, and economic pressures.
Special attention is given to epistemic justice and to the ways universities in peripheral contexts negotiate tensions between global academic standards and locally situated forms of knowledge production. The study also incorporates critical analyses derived from previous investigations on governance crises and exclusionary political discourses within Colombian higher education institutions, particularly in the Caribbean region.
The project aims to contribute to international debates on democracy, higher education, and knowledge production by proposing a decolonial and intercultural framework for understanding academic freedom beyond Eurocentric perspectives. Ultimately, the study seeks to strengthen South–South academic dialogue and generate policy recommendations for more democratic, autonomous, inclusive, and socially committed universities throughout the Global South.
It further emphasizes collaborative research networks capable of promoting institutional resilience, equity, and regional epistemological sovereignty globally.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Jairo Eduardo Soto Molina (Autor/a)
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