Knowledge for Justice

With the adoption of the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement, the
purpose of development is being redefined in both social and
environmental terms. Despite pushback from conservative forces, change
is accelerating in many sectors. To drive this transformation in ways
that bring about social, environmental and economic justice at a local,
national, regional and global levels, new knowledge and strong
cross-regional networks capable of foregrounding different realities,
needs and agendas will be essential. In fact, the power of knowledge
matters today in ways that humanity has probably never experienced
before, placing an emphasis on the roles of research, academics and
universities.

In this collection, an international diverse
collection of scholars from the southern African and Nordic regions
critically review the SDGs in relation to their own areas of expertise,
while placing the process of knowledge production in the spotlight. In
Part I, the contributors provide a sober assessment of the obstacles
that neo-liberal hegemony presents to substantive transformation. In
Part Two, lessons learned from North–South research collaborations and
academic exchanges are assessed in terms of their potential to offer
real alternatives. In Part III, a set of case studies supply clear and
nuanced analyses of the scale of the challenges faced in ensuring that
no one is left behind. This accessible and absorbing collection will be
of interest to anyone interested in North–South research networks and in
the contemporary debates on the role of knowledge production.

The
Southern African–Nordic Centre (SANORD) is a network of higher
education institutions that stretches across Denmark, Finland, Iceland,
Norway, Sweden, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and
Zimbabwe. Universities in the southern African and Nordic regions that
are not yet members are encouraged to join.