Knowledge Across Borders

Strategic research partnerships and collaborations between universities in Africa and the Global North are growing rapidly. Knowledge Across Borders critically reflects on how African universities and universities in the Global North conceptualize, operationalize, and navigate the imperatives of equality, equity and mutual benefit.

Bringing African universities to the fore and drawing on experience of existing partnerships in over 20 research networks, 50 countries, over 50 universities and 4 continents, this is the first book focused on critical reflections of knowledge networks created and co-created by African universities with universities in the Global North. Addressing how partnerships are often forged in what are asymmetrical contexts and institutions – with imbalances in levels of institutional development, experience in research, academic reputation and unequal resources – chapters focus on how reciprocity can be grounded in the research mission of knowledge networks. Rather than focusing on one sided flows from the Global North to the Global South of staff and students, contributors critically examine strategic and intentional leadership, management and operationalization, power, voice, agency, co-creation and societal impact in the dynamics of research partnering and collaborating in an unequal world, making the argument that if reciprocity in the relationships is not addressed it will undermine principled and ethical research that engenders transformative change in Africa and globally.

This is a rich resource relevant to policy makers, research funding agencies and foundations, university leadership in Africa/Global South and the Global North, research leaders, researchers, senior management and administrators in universities, post graduate students and practitioners of sustainable development in civil society.

Tawana Kupe is former Vice Chancellor of the University of Pretoria, South Africa, where he pursued strategic partnerships and collaborations for sustainability and impact with universities within Africa, the United Kingdom, the US, Europe, Australia, Asia, South America and New Zealand.