African Studies: Whose Data, Whose Evidence?

Abstract

Abstract This article buttresses a trans-colonial critique of knowledge production in African Studies, emphasizing the ongoing colonial legacies of power, epistemology, and representation. It goes beyond postpositivist frameworks by proposing an epistemic model that recenters African subjectivity as a key philosophical and methodological resource. Scholars increasingly challenge who owns the epistemological and methodological authority in African Studies, raising urgent concerns about representation and the politics of data. Key questions arise: Who creates knowledge about Africa? Who owns the evidence? How is Africa represented, and by whom? These questions reflect deeper epistemic crises and call for critical engagement. Using a critical and interpretive approach, the article examines how colonial distortions continue to influence the production of knowledge about Africa. It explores the marginalization of African experiences in Western-dominated research and responds by proposing an indigenous knowledge framework, e.g., Igbo epistemology. The article analyzes how coloniality continues to shape African subjectivity, knowledge, and existence within the global order. It deconstructs persistent binaries and stereotypes found in academic and public discourse. Ultimately, the article presents a forward-looking framework and emphasizes the importance of African intellectuals in driving epistemic change.