Edmonton Institute for Diversity Equity Research and Studies (EIDERAS)

Dr. Edward Shizha is a Professor in Youth and Children’s Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. He is also a Fellow of TSHEPO Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa.

He received his PhD from University of Alberta where he spent 3 years working as a research associate in the Social Support Research Program department where he worked on research studies on immigrants’ and refugees’ settlement, well-being, and social support needs. He got a teaching position at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2007 where he has been teaching for 14 years. His research focuses on education and indigenous knowledge systems in Africa as well as social support for immigrants in Canada. 

He has authored and edited 12 books including Living Beyond Borders: Essays on Global Immigrants and Refugees (Peter Lang, 2018).

He has also published several book chapters and journal articles which have been cited widely. Dr. Shizha is the book series editor for ‘Africa in the Global Space’ that is published by Peter Lang Publishers. 

Books Authored:

1. Education and development in Zimbabwe: A social, political and economic analysis ([with Michael Kariwo] Sense Publishers, 2011), 229 pp.

2. Indigenous knowledge and science education in Zimbabwe: Perspectives of rural primary school teachers (Lambert Academic Publishers, 2011), 204 pp.

3. Citizenship education and social development in Zambia ([with Ali A. Abdi & Lee Ellis] Information Age Publishing Inc., 2010), 168 pp.

Book Series Edited (Peter Lang Publishing): Africa in the Global Space

1. Edward Shizha (Series Editor). Decolonization of technology education: African indigenous perspectives ed. by Mishack T. Gumbo, Peter Lang, 2020, 356 pp.

2. Edward Shizha (Series Editor). Africa's Incomplete Cycles of Development ed. by Kenneth Mahuni, Josiah Taru and Wellington G. Bonga, Peter Lang, 2020, 188 pp

Books Edited:

1. Living beyond borders: Essays on global immigrants and refugees ed. by Edward Shizha, Rosemary Kimani-Dupuis and Priscilla Broni, Peter Lang, 2018, 286 pp.

a. Shizha Edward: Globalization, migration, and transnational formations (Introduction), p. 1-14

b. Ojo, T.H. & Shizha, E. Ethnic enclaves in Canada: Opportunities and challenges of residing within (Chap. 10) p.162-179

2. Re-thinking postcolonial African education in Sub-Saharan Africa in the 21st century: Post-Millennium development goals ed. by Edward Shizha and Ngoni Makuvaza, Sense Publishers, 2017, 264 pp.

a. Makuvaza, N. & Shizha, E. Re-thinking education in postcolonial Sub-Saharan Africa – Post-millennium development goals (Introduction) p.1-11

b. Shizha, Edward: Neoliberal managerialism of higher education and human capital development in Sub-Saharan Africa in the 21st century (Chap. 13) p. 241-260

3. Security, education and development in contemporary Africa ed. by Raymond Izarali, Oliver Masakure and Edward Shizha, Ashgate/Routledge, 2017, 251 pp.

a. Izarali, M.R., Masakure, O. & Shizha, E. Conceptualizing Africa’s realities in the twenty- first century: the security– education–development nexus (Introduction) p. 1-10

b. Shizha, Edward: The impact of civil conflict/war on children’s rights to education in Africa (Chap.7) p. 121-137

4. African indigenous knowledge and the sciences: Journeys into the past and present ed. by Gloria Emeagwali and Edward Shizha, Sense Publishers, 2016, 220 pp.

a. Shizha, E. & Emeagwali, G. African indigenous knowledge and the sciences: Journeys into the past and present (Introduction) p. ix-xi

b. Emeagwali, G. & Shizha, E. Interconnecting history, African indigenous knowledge systems and science. (Chap. 1) p. 3-11

c. Shizha, Edward: African indigenous perspectives on technology (Chap. 4) p. 47-62

5. Africa in the age of globalization: Perceptions, Misperceptions and Realities ed. by Edward Shizha and Lamine Diallo, Ashgate Publishers, 2015, 312 pp.

a. Shizha, E. & Diallo, L. Africa in the age of globalisation (Introduction) p.1-13

b. Shizha, Edward : Globalizing education for globalised labour markets: Brain drain or brain gain for Africa? (Chap.14) p. 235-252

6. Remapping Africa in the Global Space: Propositions for Change ed. by Edward Shizha, Sense Publishers, 2014, 223pp.

c. Shizha, Edward : Africa in the global space (Introduction) p. 1-14

d. Shizha, Edward : Globalisation, globalised labour markets: Migration and translocations in Sub-Saharan Africa (Chap. 4) p.55-72

e. Shizha, E. & Abdi, A.A. A critical analysis of education for development: An Africanist postcolonial perspective (Chap.5) p. 73-88

f. Msimanga, A. & Shizha, E. Indigenous knowledge and science education in South Africa: What messages from the curriculum? (Chap. 9) p. 137-150

7. Indigenous discourses on knowledge and development in Africa ed. by Edward Shizha, & Ali, A. Abdi, Taylor & Francis/Routledge, 2014, 256pp.

a. Shizha, E. & Abdi, A.A. Indigenous discourses on knowledge and development in Africa (Introduction) p.1-11

b. Shizha, Edward : Counter-visioning contemporary African education: Indigenous science as a tool for African development (Chap. 5) p. 78-93

8. Restoring the educational dream: Revisiting educational transformation in Zimbabwe ed. by Edward Shizha, Africa Institute of South Africa, 2013, 304pp.

a. Shizha, Edward : Restoring the education dream (Introduction) p. 1-17

b. Shizha, Edward : Restoring the educational dream: Overcoming the financial crisis (Chap1) p. 21-38

c. Charema, J. & Shizha, E. Rebuilding the Zimbabwe education system: the dawn of a new era (Chap. 2) p. 39-55

d. Makuvaza, N. & Shizha, E. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the teacher in Zimbabwe: Possible challenges to the teacher’s authority (Chap. 5) p.96-113

e. Mutendera, G. & Shizha, E. Towards quality education in Zimbabwe: 2000 to the present (Chap. 10) p.197-215

f. Shizha, Edward: Conclusion and recommendations: The way forward (Chap. 13) p.258-273

9. Indigenous knowledge and learning in Asia/Pacific and Africa: Perspectives on development, education and culture ed. by Dip Kapoor & Edward Shizha, Palgrave Macmillan, 2010, 275pp.

a. Kapoor, D. & Shizha, E. Indigenous knowledge and learning in Asia/Pacific and Africa: Perspectives on development, education, and culture (Introduction) p.1-13

b. Shizha, Edward: Rethinking and reconstituting indigenous knowledge and voices in the academy in Zimbabwe: A decolonization process (Chap.8) p.115-129

Book in Preparation

The Dynamics of African Indigenous Knowledge Systems: A Sustainable Alternative for Livelihoods in Southern Africa edited by Christopher Ndlovu and Edward Shizha (Accepted by Peter Lang Publishers)

Intersectionality, Transnationality and Immigrant Lives: Critical Issues and Approaches to International Migration edited by Edward Shizha and Edward Makwarimba (Proposal under review by OUP)

Research methods in the social sciences: A practical guide to theories, principles, strategies and analytical skills. Kivunja, Charles and Shizha, Edward (Proposal under review by OUP)

Chapters in Books:

1. Shizha, E., Wilson-Forsberg, S., Masakure, O., Mfoafo-M'Carthy, M. & Lafreniere, G. “Stereotyping high school immigrant African male students in pursuit of postsecondary education”, in A.A. Abdi (ed.), Critical Theorizations of Education (Koninklijke Brill NV, 2021), 143-156.

2. Shizha, E. “African indigenous agricultural technologies: Decolonizing and indigenizing technology Education”, in Mishack T. Gumbo (ed.), Decolonization of Technology Education: African Indigenous Perspectives (Peter Lang Publishing, 2020), pp. 149-169.

3. Hwami, M., & Shizha, E. “Black indigenization as politics of transformation: Implications of the Zimbabwe experiment”, in George J. Sefa Dei, Andrea Vásquez Jiménez & Ezinwanne Odozor (eds.), Cartographies of Blackness and Black Indigeneities (Myers Education Press, 2020) pp. 46-64.

4. Shizha, E. “Building capacity for indigenous people: Engaging indigenous philosophies in school governance”, In E.A. McKinley & L. T. Smith (eds.), Handbook of indigenous education (Springer, 2019) pp. 187-205.

5. Shizha, E. (2019). Transnationalism and ethnic enclaves among immigrants: Resistance to Canadianization? In M.T. Kariwo, N. Asadi, & C. El Bouhali, (eds.), Interrogating Models of Diversity within a Multicultural Environment (Chap. 7). (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019) pp 117-137.

6. Shizha, E., “Indigenous knowledges and knowledge codification in the knowledge economy”, in P. Ngulube, (ed.), Handbook of research on theoretical perspectives on indigenous knowledge systems in developing countries (IGI Global, 2017) pp 267-288

7. Shizha, E., “Marginalization of African-Canadian students in mainstream schools: Are Afrocentric schools the answer?” in A.A. Abdi & A. Ibrahim (eds.), Education of African-Canadian children: Critical perspectives. (McGill-Queen's Press, 2016) pp 187-206

8. Shizha, E. “Reclaiming indigenous cultures in African education”, in W.J. Jacobs, S.Y. Cheng and M.K. Porter (eds.), Indigenous education: Language, culture, and identity (Springer, 2015) pp 301-317

9. Shizha, E. “Indigenous knowledge systems and the curriculum”, in G. Emeagwali and G.J.S. Dei (eds.), African indigenous knowledge and the disciplines (Sense Publishers, 2014) pp 113-128

10. Shizha, E. & Abdi, A.A. “Adult citizenship education and political engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa: Critical analysis”, in P. Mayo (ed.), Learning with adults: A reader (Sense Publishers, 2013) pp 341–354

11. Shizha, E. “Linguistic independence and African education and development”, In Handel K. Wright & Ali A. Abdi (eds.), The dialectics of African education and Western discourses: Counter-hegemonic perspectives (Peter Lang Publishers, 2012) pp 148 – 162

12. Shizha, E. “Are we there yet? Theorizing a decolonizing science education for development in Africa”, in A.A. Abdi (ed.), Decolonizing philosophies of education (Sense Publishers, 2012) pp 163-176

13. Shizha, E. “Neoliberal globalization, science education and indigenous African knowledges”, in D. Kapoor (ed.), Critical perspectives on neoliberal globalization, development and education in Africa and Asia (Sense Publishers, 2011) pp 15-31

14. Abrokwaa, C., Ngoma, M.S., Shizha, E. and Mpofu, E. “African refugees: Challenges and prospects of resettlement programs”, in E. Mpofu (ed.), Counselling people of African ancestry (Cambridge University Press, 2011) pp 166 -178

15. Makwarimba, E., Stewart, M., Jones, Z., Makumbe, K., Shizha, E. and Spitzer, D. “Senior immigrants support needs and preferences of support intervention programs”, in D. Durst and M. MacLean (eds.), Diversity and aging among immigrant seniors in Canada: Changing faces and greying temples (Detselig Enterprises/Temeron Books, 2010) pp 205-224

16. Shizha, E. “Chara chimwe hachitswanyi inda: Indigenizing science education in Zimbabwe”, in D. Kapoor and S. Jordan (eds.), Education, participatory action research, and social change: International perspectives (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009) pp 139-154

17. Shizha, E. (2008). “Globalization and indigenous knowledge: An African postcolonial theoretical analysis”, in S. Guo and A.A. Abdi (eds.), Education and social development: Global issues and analysis (Sense Publishers, 2008) pp 37- 56

18. Shizha, E. and Abdi, A.A. “Globalization and adult education in the South”, in A.A. Abdi and D. Kapoor (eds.), Global perspectives on adult education (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008) pp 17-34

19. Shizha, E. “Continuity or discontinuity in educational equity: Contradictions in structural adjustment programmes in Zimbabwe”, in A.A. Abdi; K. Puplampu & G.J.S. Dei (eds.), African education and globalization: Critical perspectives (Lexington Books, 2006) pp 187-210

20. Shizha, E. “Reclaiming our memories: The education dilemma in postcolonial African school curricula”, in A.A. Abdi & A. Cleghorn (eds.), Issues in African education: Sociological perspectives (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005) pp 65-83

21. Shizha, E. & Abdi, A.A. “Democratizing education in Zambia: Sociohistorical analyses”, in A.A. Abdi & A. Cleghorn (eds.), Issues in African education: Sociological perspectives (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005) pp 241- 258

Forthcoming Chapters

1. Edward Shizha, Black Lives Matter: Decolonizing whiteness in higher education academic spaces in Canada. In G.J.S. Dei, J. Anamuah-Mensah, R. Kolawole and R. Mohamed (eds.), Anti-Black racism, ‘Black Lives Matter’ and Africa: Scholars and activists in conversations

2. Edward Shizha, Mainstreaming and Investing in Indigenous Knowledge Epistemologies: Possibilities. In Christopher Ndlovu and Edward Shizha (eds), The Dynamics of African Indigenous Knowledge Systems: A Sustainable Alternative for Livelihoods in Southern Africa. (New York, Peter Lang)

Papers in Refereed Journals:

1. Shizha, E., Abdi, A.A., Wilson-Forsberg, S. & Masakure, O. (2020). African immigrant students and postsecondary education in Canada: High school teachers and school career counsellors as gatekeepers. Canadian Ethnic Studies, 52(3): 67-86, 2020.

2. Wilson-Forsberg, S., Masakure, O., Shizha, E., Lafrenière, G. and Mfoafo-M’Carthy, M., Great expectations: Perspectives of young West African immigrant men transitioning to the Canadian labour market without postsecondary education. Journal of International Migration and Integration 2019. DOI: 10.1007/s12134-019-00718-4

3. Wilson-Forsberg, S., Masakure, O., Shizha, E., Lafrenière, G. and Mfoafo-M’Carthy, M., Disrupting an imposed racial identity or performing the model minority? The pursuit of postsecondary education by young African immigrant men in Southern Ontario, Canada. Race Ethnicity and Education.1-19, 2018

4. Stewart, M., Spitzer, D.L., Kushner, K.E., Shizha, E., Letourneau, N., Makwarimba, E., Dennis, C.L., Kariwo, M., Makumbe, K. and Edey, J., Supporting refugee parents of young children: “knowing you’re not alone”, International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care. 14(1): 15-29, 2018

5. Stewart, M., Kushner, K.E., Dennis, C.L., Kariwo, M., Letourneau, N., Makumbe, K., Makwarimba, E., and Shizha, E., Social support needs of Sudanese and Zimbabwean refugee new parents in Canada. International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care. 13(2): 234-252, 2017

6. Stewart, M., Makwarimba, E., Letourneau, N.L., Kushner, K.E., Spitzer, D.L., Dennis, C.L. and Shizha, E., Impacts of a support intervention for Zimbabwean and Sudanese refugee parents: “I am not alone”. Canada Journal of Nursing Research. 47(4): 113–140, 2015

7. Kivunja, C. and Shizha, E., Pedagogy of the dispersed: A cost-benefit analysis of the African diaspora phenomenon through the human and social capital lens. International Journal of Higher Education. 4(2):159-171, 2015

8. Stewart, M., Dennis, C.L., Kariwo, M., Kushner, K.E., Letourneau, N., Makumbe, K., Makwarimba, E. and Shizha, E., Challenges faced by refugee new parents from Africa in Canada, Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. 17(4):1146-1156, 2015

9. Shizha, E., Rethinking contemporary Sub-Saharan African school knowledge: Restoring the indigenous African cultures. International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education (IJCDSE), Special Issue. 4(1):1870-1878, 2014

10. Makwarimba, E., Stewart, M., Simich, L., Makumbe, K., Shizha, E. and Anderson, S., Sudanese and Somali refugees in Canada: Support needs and intervention preferences, International Migration. 51(5): 106-119, 2013

11. Shizha, E., Reclaiming our indigenous voices: The problem with postcolonial Sub-Saharan African school curriculum. Journal of Indigenous Social Development. 2(1): 1-18, 2013

12. Hapanyengwi-Chemhuru, O. and Shizha, E., Unhu/Ubuntu and education for reconciliation in Zimbabwe. Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education. 7(2):16-27, 2013

13. Shizha, E., Reclaiming and re-visioning indigenous voices: The case of the language of instruction in science education in Zimbabwean primary schools. Literacy Information and Computer Education Journal (LICEJ), Special Issue. 1(1):1-9, 2012

14. Stewart, M., Simich, L., Shizha, E., Makumbe, K., and Makwarimba, E., Supporting African refugees in Canada: Insights from a support intervention. Health and Social Care in the Community. 20(5): 516-527, 2012

15. Stewart, M., Simich, L., Beiser, M., Makumbe, K., Makwarimba, E. and Shizha, E., Impacts of a social support intervention for Somali and Sudanese refugees in Canada. Ethnicity and Inequalities in Health and Social Care. 4(4):186–199, 2011

16. Shizha, E. and Charema, J., Health and wellness in Southern Africa: Incorporating indigenous and western healing practices. International Journal of Psychology and Counselling. 3(9): 167-175, 2011

17. Stewart, M., Shizha, E., Makwarimba, E., Spritzer, D., Khalema, E.N., and Nsaliwa, C., Challenges and barriers to services for immigrant seniors in Canada: “You are among others but you feel alone”. International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care. 7(1):16–32, 2011

18. Shizha, E., (2011). H. Richard Milner IV (ed.), (2010). Culture, curriculum, and identity in education. Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry. 3(2): 42-46, 2010

19. Shizha, E., The interface of neoliberal globalization, science education and indigenous African knowledges in Africa. Journal for Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences (JAPSS). 2(3): 27-58., 2010

20. Shizha, E., (2008). Indigenous? What indigenous knowledge? Beliefs and attitudes of rural primary school teachers towards indigenous knowledge in the science curriculum in Zimbabwe. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education. 37: 80-90, 2008

21. Charema J. and Shizha, E., Counselling indigenous Shona people in Zimbabwe: Traditional practices versus western Eurocentric perspectives. ALTERNATIVE: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples. 4(2):124-141, 2008

22. Shizha, E., Critical analysis of problems encountered in incorporating indigenous knowledge in science teaching by primary school teachers in Zimbabwe. Alberta Journal of Educational Research. 53(3): 302-319, 2007

23. Shizha, E., Legitimizing indigenous knowledge in Zimbabwe: A theoretical analysis of postcolonial school knowledge and its colonial legacy. Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education. 1(1): 20-35, 2006

24. Abdi, A.A., Shizha, E. and Bwalya, I., Recasting postcolonial citizenship through civic education: Critical perspectives on Zambia. International Education. 35(2): 47-64, 2006

25. Shizha, E., Bosacki Sandra (2005). The culture of classroom silence. Education Review: A Journal of Book Reviews (November 30), 2005. Available at http://edrev.asu.edu/ reviews/rev443.htm

26. Abdi, Ali. A., Ellis, L. and Shizha, E., Democratic development and the role of citizenship education in Sub-Saharan Africa with a case focus of Zambia. International Education Journal. 6(4): 454-466, 2005

27. Shizha, E., The development of masculinity in primary school boys in Zimbabwe: Possibilities for deconstruction. Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research. 12(1): 1-24, 2000

28. Shizha, E. and Hapanyengwi-Chemhuru, O., Through the Zimbabwean eyes: A review of Hans M. Zell’s ‘Publishing in Africa’. Journal of African Religion and Philosophy: Now and in the Next Millennium 1990s-3000CE. 53-54, 1999

29. Shizha, E., Cost recovery and its implications for student teachers in government teacher education colleges in Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research. 10(2): 154-173, 1998