We highlight some of the recent reading on the critical issue of what is knowledge, knowledge production and how knowledge transfer is relevant to the development studies community and relevant fields.

Four approaches to shifting mindsets for decolonising knowledge write Peter Taylor (IDS) and Crystal Tremblay on the EADI blog. In the context of knowledge for development, what does it require to deconstruct the dominant narratives and personal privileges embodied in our race, class, gender, etc.? And, in a knowledge landscape littered with potential minefields, how do we go about shifting the mindsets that shape the ways in which ‘we’ understand the world and our subsequent values, behaviours, and attitudes?

Bridging text with context: knowledge translation in the Global South. This research report outlines empirical findings on challenges and enablers of knowledge translation in the Global South, emphasising the importance of context for Southern knowledge translation practitioners. By Enrique Mendizabal, Fajri Siregar, Jessica Correa, Julie LaFrance, Marcela Morales. The report is part of The Knowledge Translation in the Global South project, funded by the International Development Research Centre and undertaken by DSA member, the Institute of Development Studies and On Think Tank Consulting.

Beyond Tinkering: Changing Africa’s Position in the Global Knowledge Production Ecosystem by Eyob Balcha Gebremariam, Isabella Aboderin, Divine Fuh and Puleng Segalo. The politics of knowledge production in, on and about Africa needs to be thoroughly examined. In the latest issue of the CODESRIA Bulletin, the authors argue that Africa’s position in the global knowledge production ecosystem needs radical change at multiple levels.

Knowledge Translation in the Global South: Bridging Different Ways of Knowing for Equitable Development.
This study explores knowledge translation in the global South and provides recommendations for funders to support more effective structures and strategies for the use of research for equitable development.

Bridging the gap between scholarship and practice on research use. “The natural next step from the Knowledge Translation in the Global South research would be investing in a thorough exploration of research use in development”, James Georgalakis from the Institute of Development Studies writes in response to an exploratory literature review IDS undertook of knowledge on knowledge transfer in the global South to support further study in this field.

Find out more about the Knowledge Translation in the Global South project.