Topic · African cultural and philosophical studies

Most cited papers in African cultural and philosophical studies

African cultural and philosophical studies

What are the most cited papers in African cultural and philosophical studies?

The most cited paper in African cultural and philosophical studies is "Epistemologies of the South: Justice Against Epistemicide" (Jennifer Padilla Wyse, 2015), with 2,878 citations. Next come "Epistemic Disobedience, Independent Thought and Decolonial Freedom" (2,336) and "Dismantling the Divide Between Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge" (2,190).

Published TypeAccessCitations

Showing 50 of 99 papers. Every paper with more than 169 citations is listed.

Most cited papers, sortable by citations and release date
#	Paper
1	Epistemologies of the South: Justice Against Epistemicide Jennifer Padilla Wyse · Contemporary Sociology A Journal of Reviews	28 Oct 2015	2,878
2	Epistemic Disobedience, Independent Thought and Decolonial Freedom Walter D. Mignolo · Theory Culture & Society	Dec 2009	2,336
3	Dismantling the Divide Between Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge Arun Agrawal · Development and Change Open access	Jul 1995	2,190
4	Indigenous Research Methodologies Cindy L. Hanson · International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies Open access	2012	1,710
5	Decolonizing the university: New directions Achille Mbembé · Arts and Humanities in Higher Education	19 Jan 2016	1,223
6	Cultural sensitivity in public health: defined and demystified. Ken Resnicow, Tom Baranowski, Jasjit S. Ahluwalia et al. · PubMed	1999	1,157
7	African Traditional Thought and Western Science Robin Horton · Africa	1967	879
8	A moral economy of corruption in Africa? J.P. Olivier de Sardan · The Journal of Modern African Studies	Mar 1999	878
9	Who Sustains Whose Development? Sustainable Development and the Reinvention of Nature Subhabrata Bobby Banerjee · Organization Studies	2003	781
10	Para além do pensamento abissal: das linhas globais a uma ecologia de saberes Boaventura de Sousa Santos · Novos Estudos - CEBRAP Open access	Nov 2007	632
11	An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by the Zay people in Ethiopia Mirutse Giday, Zemede Asfaw, Thomas Elmqvist et al. · Journal of Ethnopharmacology	12 Feb 2003	609
12	Toward an African Moral Theory* Thaddeus Metz · Journal of Political Philosophy Open access	3 May 2007	592
13	Rebellion of the poor: South Africa's service delivery protests – a preliminary analysis Peter D G Alexander · Review of African Political Economy Open access	Mar 2010	589
14	Decolonisation of higher education: Dismantling epistemic violence and Eurocentrism in South Africa Savo Heleta · Transformation in Higher Education Open access	25 Oct 2016	582
15	Science and an African Logic Barry Hallen, Helen Ruth Verran · African Studies Review	Dec 2002	563
16	Decoloniality as the Future of Africa Sabelo J. Ndlovu‐Gatsheni · History Compass	Oct 2015	553
17	Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing Ward E. Jones · Ratio	14 Jul 2009	520
18	The use of indigenous knowledge in development: problems and challenges John A. G. Briggs · Progress in Development Studies	21 Mar 2005	518
19	Christianity in Africa: From African Independent to Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches Birgit Meyer · Annual Review of Anthropology Review	Oct 2004	505
20	Medicinal plants of the Shinasha, Agew-awi and Amhara peoples in northwest Ethiopia Mirutse Giday, Tilahun Teklehaymanot, Abebe Animut et al. · Journal of Ethnopharmacology	21 Oct 2006	493
21	Trends and Challenges of Traditional Medicine in Africa AA Abdullahi · African Journal of Traditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines Open access	15 Jul 2011	476
22	Using southern theory: Decolonizing social thought in theory, research and application Raewyn W. Connell · Planning Theory	2 Sep 2013	464
23	Nego‐Feminism: Theorizing, Practicing, and Pruning Africa’s Way Obioma Nnaemeka · Signs	2004	448
24	Denaturalizing Dispossession: Critical Ethnography in the Age of Resurgent Imperialism Gillian Hart · Antipode	Nov 2006	433
25	“Nondiscursive” Requirements in Academic Publishing, Material Resources of Periphery Scholars, and the Politics of Knowledge Production Suresh Canagarajah · Written Communication	Oct 1996	420
26	Indigenization as inclusion, reconciliation, and decolonization: navigating the different visions for indigenizing the Canadian Academy Adam Gaudry, Danielle E. Lorenz · AlterNative An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples Open access	6 Jul 2018	415
27	Ubuntu as a Moral Theory and Human Rights in South Africa Thaddeus Metz · PhilPapers (PhilPapers Foundation) Open access	2011	403
28	Indigenous knowledges and development: a postcolonial caution John A. G. Briggs, Joanne P. Sharp · Third World Quarterly	May 2004	399
29	A postcolonial and anti-colonial reading of ‘African’ leadership and management in organization studies: tensions, contradictions and possibilities Stella M. Nkomo · Organization	May 2011	394
30	The decolonial bandwagon and the dangers of intellectual decolonisation Leon Moosavi · International Review of Sociology	3 May 2020	384
31	Decolonising the university curriculum Le Grange L. · South African Journal of Higher Education Open access	Jun 2016	380
32	‘Potted Plants in Greenhouses’: A Critical Reflection on the Resilience of Colonial Education in Africa Francis B. Nyamnjoh · Journal of Asian and African Studies	15 Feb 2012	348
33	African Ubuntu Philosophy and Global Management David W. Lutz · Journal of Business Ethics	Feb 2009	342
34	Traditional medicine development for medical and dental primary health care delivery system in Africa AA Elujoba, OM Odeleye, CM Ogunyemi · African Journal of Traditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines Open access	22 Dec 2004	334
35	Incompleteness: Frontier Africa and the Currency of Conviviality Francis B. Nyamnjoh · Journal of Asian and African Studies	23 Apr 2015	329
36	The African ethic of Ubuntu/Botho : implications for research on morality Thaddeus Metz, Joseph B. R. Gaie · Journal of Moral Education	4 Aug 2010	327
37	AFRICAN CULTURE AND VALUES Gabriel E. Idang · Phronimon Open access	29 Jan 2018	320
38	The Afrocentric Paradigm Ama Mazama · Journal of Black Studies	Mar 2001	319
39	The cognitive empire, politics of knowledge and African intellectual productions: reflections on struggles for epistemic freedom and resurgence of decolonisation in the twenty-first century Sabelo J. Ndlovu‐Gatsheni · Third World Quarterly	8 Jul 2020	299
40	In Defence of Ubuntu Moeketsi Letseka · Studies in Philosophy and Education Open access	5 Oct 2011	298
41	Ethnography on an Awkward Scale Jean Comaroff, John Comaroff · Ethnography	Jun 2003	294
42	What is Ubuntu ,? Different Interpretations among South Africans of African Descent Christian Gade · South African Journal of Philosophy	2012	286
43	The terrible toll of post-colonial ‘rebel movements’ in Africa: towards an explanation of the violence against the peasantry Thandika Mkandawire · The Journal of Modern African Studies	Jun 2002	276
44	The Charm of Medicines: Metaphors and Metonyms Sjaak van der Geest, Susan Reynolds Whyte · Medical Anthropology Quarterly	Dec 1989	276
45	Scientific Racism in Modern South Africa Ross W. F. Cameron · African Affairs	1996	272
46	The end of the post-colonial state in Africa? Reflections on changing African political dynamics Catherine Young · African Affairs	2004	271
47	Pharmacopoeia of traditional medicine in Venda Hans-Joachim Arnold, Mairam Gulumian · Journal of Ethnopharmacology	Oct 1984	270
48	'Delivered From the Spirit of Poverty?': Pentecostalism, Prosperity and Modernity in Zimbabwe1 David Maxwell · Journal of Religion in Africa	1998	268
49	Decolonising transdisciplinary research approaches: an African perspective for enhancing knowledge integration in sustainability science Bagele Chilisa · Sustainability Science	29 Aug 2017	261
50	What is African Communitarianism? Against Consensus as a regulative ideal Michael Onyebuchi Eze · South African Journal of Philosophy	2008	261

Citations are OpenAlex's own counts, from its 2026-09-23 snapshot, so the ranking can differ from Google Scholar or Web of Science. A paper is listed for a field when OpenAlex files it under one of the field's topics; retracted papers and papers whose citation count cannot be traced to citing works are left out, and a preprint and the article it became are shown once. Release dates are OpenAlex's: where a source gave only a month or a year, that is what is shown. How the lists are chosen.