Abstract
This paper discusses factors that are contributing to the rise of what we refer to as an ethos of “academic apartheid” in Arab institutions of higher education. The paper examines the failure of these institutions to overcome their alienation from indigenous epistemology, to emancipate the education they provide from its colonial past, and to move towards the modern information age. The difficult position of Arab academics striving to rediscover, reintegrate and reorganize an epistemological framework to serve the indigenous world is also discussed. Current institutional approaches have deleterious effects on the performance of Arab academics, including arresting the process of transition to development. The paper concludes that Arab academics have a range of choices in determining how to establish a course of corrective action.
Highlights
In this paper we adopt the term “apartheid,” expanding its traditional semantic range beyond the field of race to the field of epistemology
This paper can be considered a self-critical reflection on the current state of Arab academia
The fact that it criticizes the academic situation in the Arab world should in no sense be taken as implying an endorsement of the discourse of the colonizer
Summary
In this paper we adopt the term “apartheid,” expanding its traditional semantic range beyond the field of race to the field of epistemology. The value of methodological structuralism in analyzing the status of higher education in the context of epistemological alienation is that it can bring to light the interactive processes among the historical and sociopolitical factors that hamstring Arab academics in their efforts to become transformers of their indigenous world.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: PORTAL Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
