Conclusion: Academic Xenophobia as Concept and Practice

In the concluding chapter of the book, we bring to confluence the emergent themes from the study into a new concept: academic xenophobia. This is a term we have coined to describe the institutionalized discrimination against African academics. This chapter elucidates how xenophobia manifests differently in academic settings compared to broader societal contexts, emphasizing the non-violent yet deeply impactful nature of such biases within universities. In the chapter, we further demonstrate how the concept is steeped in the hierarchized racial logics of empire. The analysis explores the varying institutional responses, highlighting both the hostility and the existence of supportive enclaves that offer refuge to African academics.