معرفی
Mikateko Mathebula is a Senior Researcher at the SARCHI Chair’s Higher Education and Human Development Research Programme at the University of the Free State and serves as a guest lecturer at the Centre for Development Support within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Her work critically examines higher education's role in human development and social transformation, with emphasis on decolonial methodologies and Global South epistemologies.
Her educational qualifications include:
- MSc in Industrial Psychology (2012, University of Bremen) funded by DAAD scholarship
- PhD in Development Studies (2016, University of the Free State) funded by NRF Prestige Scholarship
Dr. Mathebula's research centers on human flourishing in higher education, investigating how educational processes can empower marginalized communities through decolonial frameworks. She pioneers the use of storytelling and visual methodologies like photovoice to document epistemic contributions of rural South African youth, challenging dominant knowledge hierarchies. Her work consistently addresses structural inequalities in access, representation, and knowledge production within post-apartheid higher education.
Analysis of her 2018-2021 publications reveals a cohesive trajectory applying Amartya Sen's capabilities approach to higher education contexts. Her scholarship increasingly integrates participatory methods to amplify 'invisible' student voices, with growing focus on rural-urban educational migration, #FeesMustFall movement impacts, and sustainable development frameworks. The work consistently bridges theoretical rigor with community-engaged practice.
Key scholarly support:
- NRF Prestige Scholarship for doctoral studies
- DAAD scholarship for master's studies
- ESRC/DFID funding for Miratho longitudinal project
Dr. Mathebula maintains extensive postgraduate supervision experience and leads the Miratho project (2016-2020), a major ESRC/DFID-funded study tracking educational outcomes for low-income South African youth. She regularly facilitates participatory research workshops that center community knowledge.
She actively contributes to the Higher Education and Human Development Research Programme's mission of transforming academic practice through capabilities-focused, decolonial approaches that prioritize epistemic justice and social transformation in Global South contexts.
