Genealogies of the Japa movement and future of the Nigerian research ecosystem

While grounded at the intersection of declining expectations/aspirations, youthhood and migration in Nigeria, this talk will situate Nigerian academia within this broader trend. 

Kudus and David will genealogically trace the propellers of institutional degeneration that produced academic precarity, out-migration and a “cycle of copies of copies” phenomenon. In doing this, they will pay attention to the “brain drain” problem sustained by the policies of more developed economies. 

They will also highlight the limitation of this trend of scholarly thought, especially the excessive and relatively unproductive North-South flow narrative at the heart of the debate. 

With a critical autoethnographic reflection on the question “Why are you still in Nigeria?”, the speakers will close the discussion by unpacking the uncomfortable space of precarity that early career academics in Nigeria occupy and the implications of this discomfort for the Japa movement and the future of Nigerian research ecosystem.

This event will be particularly useful for those interested in higher education research.

Related links

• Centre for Global Higher Education
• Department of Education, Practice and Society