This special issue focuses on the need for a fundamental reconceptualisation of assessment and feedback practices in higher education in the global south. Drawing on their experiences and assessment practices during the Covid-19 pandemic, the contributions highlight the lessons learnt, and how these may be leveraged to address present and future disruptions as well as ongoing inequities. The key themes running through the seven articles are the social dimension of assessment and feedback, and the urgency to shift towards more flexible and inclusive assessment practices. The message conveyed is the importance of care, connection and inclusive approaches to assessment and feedback in achieving the outcomes necessary for effective graduate participation in a world defined by inequity, complexity and change.