Afrocentric Student Agency, Negotiating “Third Space,” and Higher Education: A Photovoice Study of Emergency Remote Learning During COVID-19 in Malawi and Zimbabwe

The COVID-19 pandemic led to disruptions or permanent closures of postsecondary institutions around the world, with adverse consequences on equitable education outcomes due to preexisting gender and digital inequalities. Due to the unprecedented global emergency, higher education students were forced to return home and conduct classes remotely or online, with some unable to return to school indefinitely. This transnational photovoice study examines how African female collegians within the context of Southern Africa, cases of Malawi and Zimbabwe, navigate(d) and negotiate(d) emergency remote learning during the COVID-19 crisis. The data highlight that participants navigated emergency remote learning by creating a third space of hybridity—others of themselves—that centered on personal-internal power and collective action rooted in Ubuntucentric solidarity to subvert marginality within and beyond the academy. Understanding third space—a hybrid sociocultural and digital space for negotiating identity, relationships, and learning during crises—is key to shaping inclusive, resilient higher education policies.