Putting Self-Peripheralization in the Global Knowledge Order

Abstract This article examines scholarly self-peripheralization as a side effect of catch-up strategies for academic advancement within the global knowledge order. Self-peripheralization is conceptualized as a two-fold process driven not only by those striving for inclusion in global academic exchange (status seekers), but also by those who set and enforce the norms of academic status and knowledge “excellence” (status givers). The relationship between global hegemony and injustice has not been sufficiently explored in the context where national academic institutions and individuals adhere to the rules established by epistemic hegemons while continuing to be treated as part of the “periphery.” This article also discusses strategies adopted by scholars outside the core in response to the challenges of academic development. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need to explore alternatives, advocating for a less judgmental and more inward-critical model that integrates diverse cognitive paradigms and approaches into modern scholarship within a broader political and cultural context.