Seeking epistemic justice: experiences of agency, power and epistemic disobedience among Black African international doctoral students

This qualitative study examines the experiences of Black African international doctoral candidates in the United Kingdom, particularly focusing on cross-race supervisory dynamics. The research employs in-depth narrative interviews and reflexive thematic analysis to explore the nuances of agency and power as experienced by these candidates. Central to our explorations are the manifestations of epistemic violence and injustice they encounter, as well as the strategies they employ for epistemic disobedience. Despite ongoing decolonial rhetoric and the increased recruitment of PhD candidates from African countries within UK universities, the participants report that the expectation to conform to Western epistemological frameworks remains a dominant aspect of their academic lives. This research critically examines how the participants psychosocially reflect upon and navigate their positions within the hegemonic academic structures that often view them as outsiders. The findings highlight the complex interplay of resistance and conformity within these supervisory relationships, revealing both the constraints imposed by, and the potential for agency within the white supremacist matrices of power in educational spaces. By centring the lived experiences articulated in the voice of our participants, this study makes a significant contribution to decolonial scholarship.