Digital culture: Post-colonial Africa’s weapon for enhancing social justice
Article / Journal
Author(s) / editor(s):
Chingombe Agrippa
Year: 2026
Language(s): English
Abstract:
The 21stcentury has witnessed higher education shifting from the traditional interaction to the utilisation of digital tools and communication technologies as instructional tools, giving birth to concepts like digital culture and digital literacy, among others. Digital culture and digital literacy are concepts that merit scholarly examination of their contribution to social justice in higher education (HE). The purpose of the paper is to examine the nuanced nexus between digital culture, digital literacy, and social justice. The author examines how digital culture promotes social justice in African universities through access, representation, participation, equality, and inclusiveness. The author utilizes Amartya Sen's Capability Approach (CA) and John Rawls' theory of justice to illuminate the nexus between HE and social justice. The study concluded that despite HE’s attempt to promote social justice in digital form, implementing digital culture is a daunting task. The complexity is influenced by numerous factors,namely, capabilities, rurality, colonialism, and epistemicide, among others. Despite the subtle yet devastating consequences of social justice, it was concluded that digital literary and cultural practices are currently essential in achieving social justice in HE because they enhance participation, deliberative engagement, representation, access and democracy because of access and contribution. The author recommends that governments should continue to promote the theory and practice of social justice in the wider world by investing in HE digitally.
https://doi.org/10.21083/ajote.v15i1.8859
Post created by: Virginia Signorini