Bethwell A. Ogot on Luo conceptions of justice: African Indigenous frameworks for rethinking social justice education

The Luo are an ethnolinguistic group largely located in East Africa. We engage Luo epistemologies of justice as resources for rethinking social justice education through the perspectives of the late Bethwell A. Ogot, foremost scholar of Luo history and thought. Our analysis is informed by an interview conducted with Ogot in April 2022, during which he shared insights drawn from decades of scholarship on Luo oral traditions, including proverbs, stories, songs, and rituals. Central to his reflections is a conception of justice as a relational and cosmological practice, as well as the interdependence of justice, spirituality, and ethical leadership in Luo culture. Viewed through critical and decolonial lenses, these insights challenge dominant Western assumptions about the relationships among justice, power, knowledge, and pedagogy. Ultimately, we position African Indigenous epistemologies as vital resources for developing more accountable, inclusive, and ethically grounded educational theory and practice across local and global contexts.