Tales of African scholarship: experiences, curriculum, and policies for equitable higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa and the United States

Abstract

The overall objective of the three-manuscript dissertation, “Tales of African Scholarship: Experiences, Curriculum, and Policies for Equitable Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa and the United States,” is to document and analyze the academic journeys of African scholars across various contexts. Specifically, the dissertation explores and critically examines their lived experiences, focusing on their journey toward pursuing scholarship and on how curriculum and institutional policies shape their educational paths in Sub-Saharan Africa and the United States. By reviewing these experiences, the study identified systemic challenges, highlighted resilience strategies, and provided insights that support more just and transformative approaches to higher education curriculum and policy across the two regions. In addition to the overall purpose of the dissertation. Each of the three manuscripts centers on a specific purpose that addresses components of the dissertation. Manuscript 1 is titled "Tales of an African Woman in Pursuit of Scholarship: A Critical Educational Autobiography.” This qualitative, critical, educational, autobiographical research explores the researcher’s journey toward becoming a scholar as a first-generation African female immigrant who has navigated educational systems across two continents. Given the growing focus on autobiography in educational research, this study emphasizes the vital importance of individuals sharing their lived experiences to foster both personal and community growth. Using snail-sense African feminism and the intersectionality theoretical framework, the research reflexively engaged with her scholarly journey, examining the broader sociocultural contexts that shaped her transnational educational experiences in Ghana, West Africa, and Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States. This critical educational autobiography study contributes to the literature on African women’s scholarship both at home and abroad, enhances the research methodology for replication, and provides theoretical insights that can inform curriculum development and educational policy reforms. Ultimately, this research serves as both a personal reflection and an inspiration for other women navigating similar academic paths, highlighting the essential role of critical autobiographical research in understanding and transforming educational landscapes. Manuscript 2 of the dissertation is titled "Curriculum Experiences of African Female Graduate Students in the United States and Sub-Saharan Africa.” Africa contributes to over half of the world’s population growth, projected to reach 3.9 billion by 2100. Empowering women through education is essential for sustainable development. Yet, African women, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), face persistent barriers in accessing quality education, especially in underrepresented fields like STEM. This study examined the curriculum experiences of African female graduate students in the U.S. and sub-Saharan Africa, analyzing challenges and opportunities through the frameworks of Critical Postcolonial Curriculum Theory (CPCT), Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP), and transnationalism. Using a qualitative comparative-case study design, it employed semi-structured interviews with purposively sampled participants from diverse sub-Saharan African nations and disciplines to gain a deeper understanding of how cultural environments, gender dynamics, identity negotiation, socioeconomic factors, and academic support systems influence the academic successes and challenges faced by female scholars from this demographic within two distinct educational contexts: the United States and Sub-Saharan Africa. This article also contributes to decolonizing education by shifting the conversation about female educational intersectionality beyond a Western or Eurocentric perspective, thereby enriching the theoretical framework in academic research. Manuscript 3: Toward Equitable Education—An Analysis of Policies in Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) critically explores how gender equity or related policies, mainly aimed at promoting women’s access and opportunities in higher education, are conceptualized, the priorities they set, and the specific strategies implemented to ensure fair treatment for female students. This study explores the University of Ghana, Makerere University, the University of Yaoundé I, and the University of Cape Town, SSA’s leading institutions across West, East, Central, and Southern Africa. It fills an essential gap in the literature by exploring the concepts, priorities, and strategies embedded in gender equity policies within higher education in SSA, using Fairclough’s (1995, 2010) three-dimensional Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) model, which conceptualizes discourse as simultaneously a text, a discursive practice, and a social practice, highlighting institutional and policy efforts to increase women’s access to higher education in the region. Findings from the study contribute to an expanding body of research on social justice education, gender equity, and policy reform in African higher education, helping institutional leaders, policymakers, and advocacy groups strengthen gender equity initiatives and develop more transformative and actionable policies. The terms “female” and “women” are used interchangeably in this research.