Knowledge Production and Dissemination in the DRC: A Gendered Analysis of University Praxis, 2021–2026

This original research critically examines the gendered dynamics of knowledge production and dissemination within the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) higher education sector from 2021 onwards. It interrogates how institutional praxis in Congolese universities either perpetuates or challenges patriarchal structures, thereby shaping the field of African Studies. Employing a rigorous qualitative feminist methodology, the study analyses policy documents from six public and private universities and draws on semi-structured interviews with forty academic staff across career stages. The findings demonstrate a persistent gendered disparity in publication outputs, leadership in research centres, and access to international dissemination networks. Although several institutions adopted gender policies post-2021, their implementation is inconsistent and frequently undermined by entrenched informal hierarchies. The article contends that the epistemic authority of Congolese scholarship in African Studies is fundamentally diminished by these systemic inequities, which marginalise women’s intellectual contributions. Consequently, this research underscores the necessity for a transformative feminist praxis within African universities. This is framed not solely as an equity issue, but as an essential condition for producing rigorous and representative knowledge about the continent. The implications advocate for a decolonial reimagining of academic structures to centre African women’s voices in defining and disseminating African realities.