Team

Prof. Bagele Chilisa

  • Discipline:

    Education

  • University:

    University of Botswana

  • Country:

    Botswana

Biography: Professor Chilisa is a renowned post-colonial scholar, researcher, author, educator, and an important African thought leader. Some of the courses that she has been facilitating for over 30 years include Research design, policy design, and Measurement and Evaluation courses, among others. As a full Professor at the University of Botswana she has supervised more than 50 masters and PhD dissertations with diverse academic discourse and has served as external examiner for PhD thesis in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. Her interest in community-based research has driven her to write extensively on indigenous knowledge as well as publish a book titled “Indigenous Research methodologies”. A book that has sparked international discourse on importance of indigenous methodologies, especially in Africa. She has shared her intellectual knowledge about indigenous research methodologies on several platforms and at several conferences in Universities in South Africa, USA, Norway, UK, and Italy. With over 80 publications, Prof. Chilisa has been recognized as the Researcher of the Year and awarded UB Research Team Leadership at University Research Awards Ceremony in 2019. She has also been awarded the Prestigious USA National Institute of Health Research Award on capacity building on HIV/AIDS.

Selected Publications:

  • Chilisa, B. & Mertens, D. M. (2021). Indigenous Made in Africa Evaluation Frameworks: Addressing Epistemic Violence and Contributing to Social Transformation. American Journal of Evaluation. 1-13, DOI 10117710982140209 48601

  • Chilisa, B. (2020). Indigenous Research Methodologies, (2nd ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

  • Chilisa, B. (2020). Reflections of the revised DAC Criteria In Proceedings IEO, UNDP, Proceedings from the 2019 National Evaluation Conference Capacities Conference, UNDP, New York. (USA)

  • Chilisa, B., Major, T.E., Gaotlhobogwe M., G Mokgolodi, H. (2017). Decolonizing and Indigenizing Evaluation Practice in Africa: Toward African Relational Evaluation Approaches. The Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation. vol. 30 (3) 312-328.

  • Chilisa, B. (2017). Decolonising Trans-disciplinary Research: An African Perspective for enhancing knowledge integration in Sustainability Science. Sustainability Science Journal.

  • Chilisa B., Major T., Khudu-Petersen K. (2017). Community Engagement with a post-colonial, African based relational paradigm Qualitative Research, pp1-14.

  • Chilisa, B. & Tsheko, G. N. (2014). Mixed Methods in Indigenous Research: Building Relationships for Sustainable Intervention Outcomes Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 8(3), 222-233.

  • Chilisa, B. (2015). A synthesis paper on the Made in Africa Evaluation concept African Evaluation Association. https://afrea.org/wp-content/upIoads/2018/06/MAE2-Final-31st-august.pdf Accessed February 4, 2020.

  • Chilisa, B. & Malunga, C. (2012). Made in Africa evaluation: Uncovering African roots in evaluation theory and practice Paper presented at African thought leaders forum on evaluation for development expanding thought leadership in Africa. The Bella io Centre 14-17th November 2012.

Areas of Expertise:

• Context and culturally responsive research and evaluation methodologies
• Indigenous knowledge systems and the design and evaluation of context and culturally responsive interventions in Low and Middle Income Countries

Prizes & Awards:

• 2019 University of Botswana Researcher of the Year award
• 2016 International HIV/AIDS researcher of the year award
• 2006 University of Botswana research team leader of the year award

Memberships & Networks:

• Council member: International Evaluation Academy, 2020
• Advisory panel member of the IEO office of UNDP
• Peer reviewer of the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia 2020 to date
• Evaluation expert, International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET)
• President of the Botswana Evaluation Society 2018 to date