African Centre for Epistemology and Philosophy of Science (ACEPS)
We are in the business of decolonising knowledge through African voices in Philosophy, strengthening knowledge systems in both North and South.
- African Philosophy & Indigenous Knowledge Systems
- Decolonising Knowledge & Epistemic Injustice & Oppression
- Philosophy of Science
- Philosophy of Education & Social Science
- Philosophy of Biology & Philosophy of Race
The African Centre for Epistemology and Philosophy of Science (ACEPS) at University of Johannesburg (UJ), South Africa is the top Centre at UJ and probably the top Philosophy Centre in the whole of Africa!
If you are not feeling appreciated at your current university because of what you work on, why not consider UJ and especially ACEPS? Join the ACEPS team and see what is available for MA, PhD or PDRF fellowships and grants in Philosophy in a fun and safe space. Contact ACEPS director and Professor of Philosophy Prof Veli Mitova.
Events 2025
- Jan 2025: ACEPS Postgrads Term 1 research and reading group schedule @ ACEPS
- 17 Jan 2025: WIP practice run for Philosophical Society of Southern Africa Conference (PSSA) presentations @ ACEPS Live 9am-3pm SAST
- 27 Jan 2025: ACEPS-Philosophy Colloquium: False-Confessions and Repairing Self-Trust by Prof Sarah Wright (U of Georgia) @ ACEPS Live 11am-1pm SAST online Zoom link
- 28 Jan 2025: ACEPS-Philosophy Colloquium: A Pluralist Account of Epistemic Reparations by Prof Amandine Catala (U of Quebec @ Montreal) @ ACEPS Live 11am-1pm SAST online Zoom link
- 3 Feb 2025: Workshop Series Safeguarding Justice and Democracy in the Age of AI: “Emergent Personhood: An African Approach to Social Robots” with Prof Nancy Jecker (University of Washington School of Medicine) YouTube video @ hybrid ACEPS-UJ Zoom link 4pm-6:30pm SAST
- 4 Feb 2025: Harm and Zetetic Flourishing by Leonardo Flamini PhD candidate at Epistemology Group on Rationality (ZEGRa), Uni of Zurich @ ACEPS Live 11am-12:30pm SAST
- 10 Feb 2025: Congrats to Nomaswazi Kubeka, PhD candidate at ACEPS, recipient of the Globalink Research Award, for the project ‘Theorizing Indigenous Group Silencing: Canadian and South African Perspectives’. Her three-month fully funded research visit to McGill University, Canada will take place from September to November 2025.
- 19 Feb 2025: ACEPS-Philosophy Colloquium: Terrorists’ Collective Responsibility for Extreme Beliefs by Prof Anne Schwenkenbecher (Murdoch University) @ ACEPS Live 11am-1pm SAST
- 11 Mar 2025: ACEPS-Philosophy Colloquium: Who’s Afraid of an Organology? by Prof Chantelle Gray (UJ Philosophy) @ ACEPS Live 11am-1pm SAST
- 14-16 Mar 2025: Poster for Epistemic Reparations and Carceral Injustice Conference as part of Epistemic Reparations Project funded by Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs Conference photo @ Evanston Northwestern U. Event photo
- 27 Mar 2025: ACEPS-Philosophy Colloquium: Imagining & building wise machines: The centrality of AI metacognition by Prof Igor Grossmann Professor at the Department of Psychology (Uni of Waterloo) @ ACEPS Live 11am-1pm SAST
- 15 Apr 2025: Workshop Series Safeguarding Justice and Democracy in the Age of AI: “AI Technology as a Hostile Epistemology: A Threat to Democratic Legitimacy” by Dr Paige Benton (ACEPS) @ ACEPS Live 11am-1pm SAST
- 24 Apr 2025: “Negotiating Ignorances in Responsible Epistemic Practices” by Prof Heidi Grasswick (Middlebury College) @ ACEPS Live 11am-1pm SAST
- 25 Apr 2025: Epistemic Relationships Conference @ ACEPS Live 9am-5pm SAST
- 17 Jun 2025: “Epistemic Encroachment” by Prof Clayton Littlejohn a Professor of Philosophy in the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry, Australian Catholic University TBA @ ACEPS Live 11am-1pm SAST
- 19..21 Jun 2025: Epistemic Workshop on Bearing Witness: Citizens and The Law in Post-Apartheid South Africa as part of Epistemic Reparations Project funded by Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs @ ACEPS Live Melville Community Centre Chiesa di Pazzo Lupi
- 15 Jul 2025: ACEPS Speaker Series talk by Tancredo Tivane Philosophy PhD Candidate (The University of Arkansas Fayetteville) @ ACEPS-UJ Live 11am-1pm SAST
- 13..14 Aug 2025: Workshop Series Safeguarding Justice and Democracy in the Age of AI: Digital Decolonisation and Digital Justice Conference funded by University of Johannesburg Global Excellence and Stature grant @ hybrid ACEPS-UJ
- 10..16 Nov 2025: Prof Veli Mitova (Invite) “Epistemic Reparations” public lecture and workshop funded by Philosophy doctorate and Mente y Lenguaje in collaboration with ACEPS @ Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú Live TBA
Events 2026
- 4..5 Jun 2026: Information Segregation project in collaboration with Department of Philosophy Washington University in St. Louis @ ACEPS Live TBA
Visitors 2025
- Jan 2025: Prof Sarah Wright (U of Georgia) is a return Visiting Research Fellow on a 1 week research collaboration visit.
- Jan 2025: Prof Amandine Catala (U of Quebec @ Montreal) is a return Visiting Research Fellow on a 1 week research collaboration visit.
- Feb 2025: Leonardo Flamini completing his PhD at the Department of Philosophy University of Zurich on a 1 week research visit, from 3-9 February.
- Feb 2025: Prof Anne Schwenkenbecher Head of Philosophy Department @ Murdoch University on a 1 week research collaboration visit, from 17-21 February.
- Mar 2025: Prof Igor Grossmann is a Professor at the Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo on a 1 week research visit, from 25-29 March.
- Apr 2025: Dr Sebastian Schmidt (Uni Zurich) is a return Visiting Research Fellow from the Zürich Epistemology Group on Rationality (Zegra) on a 1 month research visit.
- Apr 2025: Prof Cameron Boult (Brandon U) is Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy and a return Visiting Researcher collaborating with ACEPS.
- Apr 2025: Prof Heidi Grasswick George Nye & Anne Walker Boardman Professor of Mental and Moral Science, Philosophy Department @ Middlebury College on a 2 week research collaboration visit, from 16 April-2 May.
- Jun 2025: Prof Clayton Littlejohn a Professor of Philosophy in the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry, Australian Catholic University on a 1 week research collaboration visit, 17-20 June.
- Jul 2025: Tancredo Tivane PhD Candidate from the Department of Philosophy at the University of Arkansas Fayetteville on a 1 week return research visit, from July 14–18.
- Semester 1 2025: Prof Quill Kukla Philosophy and Disability Studies at Georgetown University and the 2025-2026 Visiting Fellow at the SOCRATES Institute at Leibniz Universität Hannover on a 1-2 week research collaboration visit.
- Sep 2025: Prof Sandy Goldberg is the Chester D. Tripp Professor in the Humanities, Professor of Philosophy, Northwestern University on a 1 week research collaboration visit.
Visitors 2026
- Jun 2026: ACEPS to host 2-3 PhD candidates from Department of Philosophy Washington University in St. Louis as part of an Postgraduate exchange on 1 month visits.
- Jun 2026: Dr Aviva de Groot is a Post-Doctoral Researcher with the Global Data Justice Project at the Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, and Society (TILT), affiliated with Digital Legal Studies on a 1 week research collaboration visit.
- We regularly host visiting and externally funded Postdoctoral researchers or join ACEPS on a fellowship Postdoc. Doctoral students should see if their University is linked to Erasmus+ Exchange and Mobility for funding. Check out your International Office, you might be surprised at what is on offer! Please contact ACEPS director Prof Veli Mitova, if you are interested in visiting, giving a talk, sharing research or collaborating on a project. Check out the ACEPS Team & PostGrads and Previous Years Events & Visitors pages for the previous activities, research groups, reading groups, writing retreats and direction of ACEPS research.
Annual Reports
ACEPS Annual Report 2024
ACEPS Annual Report 2023
ACEPS Annual Report 2022
ACEPS Annual Report 2021
ACEPS address: UJ on Empire, 3rd floor, cnr Barry Hertzog and Napier road, Milpark, Johannesburg. Entrance from Napier road, it is the big blue glass building (previously the Johannesburg Stock Exchange). Map link.