Humanising pedagogical practices calls for the integration of decolonial theoretical perspectives that are informed by subjective social realities and a social justice approach to educational research. This scoping literature review sought to establish the state of research on humanising pedagogy within higher education over a period of ten years, namely 2010 to 2020. We searched numerous electronic databases using a variety of relevant search terms. Studies included were published in English over the ten-year period and were all related to humanising pedagogy within higher education. A total of 11 articles and three scholarly books met the inclusion criteria. The study identified that humanising pedagogy is an emerging field of study as only a limited number of primarily conceptual articles were published during the study period. For the data synthesis, we utilised a thematic analysis approach. The results from the thematic analysis suggest that decoloniality and social justice, engaged principles and practices, and curiosity and creativity could have implications for the global South and pedagogical development in previously colonised educational and cultural heritage settings. Further research should be informed by methodological approaches congruent with social justice imperatives to advance empowered knowledge and research in this field.

Deaf adolescents and other young people with sensory disabilities are at elevated risk of sexual violence victimisation. However, there is scant published evidence on the epidemiology of sexual violence victimisation among deaf adolescents from African countries, including Ghana. To describe the 12-month prevalence and associated factors of sexual violence victimisation among school-going deaf adolescents in Ghana. This is a cross-sectional self-report survey involving a nationally representative sample of 422 school-going deaf adolescents. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the sociodemographic, personal-level, family-related, school-based, and interpersonal-level factors associated with sexual violence victimisation. The 12-month prevalence estimate of sexual violence victimisation was 17.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 14.0-21.3%). Comparable estimates were found between females (16.6%; 95%CI = 11.3-23.0%) and males (17.9%; 95%CI = 13.6-23.0%). Deaf adolescents from polygynous families, those who did paid work, those having a single-parent caretaker, those whose primary caretakers were unemployed, and those in romantic relationships were at increased odds of sexual violence victimisation. Family-related factors such as parental divorce, and conflict with parents were also associated with increased odds of sexual violence victimisation. No (putative protective) factors were identified to be associated with reduced odds of sexual violence victimisation. The prevalence estimates and associated factors of sexual violence victimisation among school-going deaf adolescents in the current study are comparable to what is known about in-school hearing adolescents in Ghana. The evidence highlights the need to strengthen preventive efforts against the offence in both deaf and hearing adolescents.

First-person narratives of suicidal behavior may provide novel insights into how individuals with lived experience of suicide understand and narrate their behavior. Our aim was to explore the narratives of young men hospitalized following nonfatal suicidal behavior (NFSB), in order to understand how young suicidal men construct and understand their actions. Data were collected via narrative interviews with 14 men (aged 18–34 years) admitted to hospital following an act of NFSB in Cape Town, South Africa. Narrative analysis was used to analyze the data. Two dominant narratives emerged in which participants drew on tropes of the “great escape” and “heroic resistance,” performing elements of hegemonic masculinity in the way they narrated their experiences. Participants position themselves as rational heroic agents and present their suicidal behavior as goal-directed action to solve problems, assert control, and enact resistance. This dominant narrative is incongruent with the mainstream biomedical account of suicide as a symptom of psychopathology. The young men also articulated two counter-narratives, in which they deny responsibility for their actions and position themselves as defeated, overpowered, wary, and unheroic. The findings lend support to the idea that there is not only one narrative of young men’s suicide, and that competing and contradictory narratives can be found even within a dominant hyper-masculine account of suicidal behavior. Gender-sensitive suicide prevention strategies should not assume that all men share a common understanding of suicide. Suicide can be enacted as both a performance of masculinity and as a resistance to hegemonic gender roles.

S: Several factors contribute to the alarmingly high youth unemployment rate in South Africa. Barriers such as lack of access to education and practical work experience reflect these statistics and the socio-economic implications of graduate unemployment. This qualitative case study investigated the perceptions of engineering students' academic resilience in the context of higher education by using a youth development approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted online via Zoom with a sample consisting of 10 participants (aged 22–28 years), namely four Civil engineering students, four Electrical engineering students, and two Industrial engineering students. Six students were South African, whilst the remaining four were international students. Seven participants self-identified as male and three as female. Findings are discussed in terms of the three themes which emerged from the thematic analysis: (a) personal character strengths; (b) access to guidance, resources, and information and (c) a sense of belonging and social connection. This study focused on engineering education and developed a new interdisciplinary understanding of how entrepreneurship education may contribute to engineering students' academic resilience as a packaged support system that speaks to their psychosocial, educational and economic needs.

In the dynamic landscape of the neoliberal university, conversations between emerging scholars serve as vital spaces for critical reflection and transformative action. This collaborative autoethnographic study engaged with the complexities of navigating academia as two black clinical psychologists within a South African university. Drawing on decoloniality, we interrogated the pervasive ‘carrying on’ culture and its impact on early-career academics. Our lived experiences underscored the intersections of identity, power and resistance, as we grappled with the commodification of higher education and the pressures to ascend the ranks hastily. Through a reflexive thematic analysis of our recorded discussions, we uncovered mechanisms for disrupting normative structures and redefining the purpose of scholarly pursuits. Central to our inquiry was the notion of refusal as a generative force, challenging the status quo and advocating for a more conducive, supportive environment where teaching and learning activities are genuine expressions of growth. We envisioned a university that fosters meaningful intellectual engagement and societal transformation, calling for collective dialogue and action to reimagine the neoliberal higher education landscape.Contribution: Our study contributes to the ongoing conversation on decolonising academia, offering insights into the struggles and aspirations of emerging scholars in the Global South, and advocating for a transformative praxis that nurtures authentic intellectual pursuits and collective well-being within academia.

Introduction: This paper explores the ethical and emotional dimensions of engaging critical racial consciousness in South African higher education. Racialised educators, particularly Black academics, continue to navigate pedagogical spaces shaped by institutional Whiteness, subtle yet persistent norms that privilege Eurocentric standards and misrecognize non-White authority and experience.Methods: Using collaborative autoethnography and critical incident analysis, two Black academics engaged in a series of recorded reflective conversations. These dialogues served as both data and analytic spaces. Through retrospective discussion, ethically charged incidents from teaching and supervision were identified, revisited and interpreted.Results: The narratives reveal how misrecognition and racialised silencing surface in everyday academic encounters, through both overt critique and quiet erasure. These moments disrupt normative routines and compel educators to examine their complicity, positionality and pedagogical stance. Key themes include the emotional labor of teaching, the tension between care and compliance, and the institutional conditions that render Black authority negotiable.Discussion: Rather than seeking closure, the paper argues for staying with the discomfort of ethical ruptures as a pedagogical and political strategy. It positions critical reflection and vulnerability as necessary for decolonial praxis. We propose that humanizing education begins by naming the “Brown Thing”: the embodied, affective, and often unspoken realities of race in the Ivory Tower.