Illustrative Image: UJ Press Retracts Kgothatso Shai’s Book Amid Controversial Feud with Shepherd Mpofu
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UJ Press Retracts Kgothatso Shai’s Book Amid Controversial Feud with Shepherd Mpofu
The retraction of Kgothatso Shai’s book by UJ Press is the latest development in a long-standing and publicized academic feud between Shai, a political scientist at the University of Limpopo, and Shepherd Mpofu, a media studies professor at the University of South Africa. The controversy began after the book, “An Afrocentric Idea on Contested Knowledge: Selected Cases,” was criticized for lacking scholarly rigor and containing personal grievances rather than legitimate academic discourse.
Shai’s book included critiques of Mpofu’s Facebook posts, which Shai claimed misrepresented his character and scholarship. Mpofu, in response, has called Shai a “toxic scholar” and argues that Shai misused his social media posts for academic purposes without ethical consideration. The conflict has seen both scholars publish articles attacking each other’s credibility and work.
The retraction followed complaints from Mpofu and another academic, who alleged the book contained libel, xenophobia, and self-plagiarism. Despite these allegations, UJ Press stated that the primary reason for the retraction was the lack of evidence supporting the book’s broad claims about systemic bias and discrimination.
The feud, initially stemming from personal and professional disagreements, has highlighted broader issues regarding the conduct and ethics of scholarly discourse in South African academia. The incident has also prompted UJ Press to scrutinize ethical issues in future peer reviews more closely.
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