Discourse and Access: Mapping Knowledge Production in a Southern Open Access Journal

This study investigates the types of research discourses and thematic content published in a Southern open access journal, exploring whether such journals offer space for diverse epistemologies or reinforce dominant, technocratic paradigms. Topic modelling (LDA and NMF) was used to identify dominant themes, while qualitative discourse analysis, using Deetz’s (1996) four-quadrant model, was employed to classify epistemological orientations as normative, interpretive, critical, or dialogical. The results reveal a predominance of normative discourse, with limited representation of interpretive and critical perspectives and no dialogical contributions. Thematic analysis shows a focus on performance, governance, and technocratic solutions. These patterns suggest that open access publishing in the Global South, while expanding access, may reproduce global epistemic hierarchies and marginalize alternative modes of inquiry.