Charting new frontiers: The need for decolonial governance in post-human universities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.38140/ijer-2025.vol7.s1.16Keywords:
Decolonial governance, post-human universities, sustainable development, AI integration, decolonial leadershipAbstract
This theoretical paper examines how decolonial governance frameworks can transform leadership and institutional cultures within post-human universities to promote socially just and sustainable futures. As artificial intelligence (AI) and automation become increasingly integrated into higher education, ranging from decision-making systems to pedagogical design, there is an escalating risk that digital infrastructures will perpetuate colonial hierarchies and marginalise non-dominant epistemologies. Drawing upon critical literature, the paper offers a theory-driven synthesis centred on three interrelated themes: the reproduction of colonial power through algorithmic and data systems; the ethical and relational praxis of decolonial leadership; and the alignment of governance structures with pluralistic, sustainable development goals. Rather than treating AI as ideologically neutral, the analysis positions it as a site of both exclusion and potential, depending on how governance frameworks are conceptualised and enacted. The study argues that transformative leadership must prioritise contextual ethics, epistemic justice, and inclusive participation in both human and digital domains. Thus, by embedding decolonial values into the heart of institutional governance, post-human universities can move beyond compliance-driven models towards more equitable, reflexive, and contextually grounded systems. The paper concludes with a call for deeper theorisation and empirical investigation into how decolonial governance can be realised in digitally mediated academic spaces.
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