The big picture: decolonising beyond the curriculum

How decolonisation can be applied and advanced across different areas of higher education

Decolonisation

Decolonisation is a complex and nuanced process which, done properly, stands to challenge the very power structures upon which many universities have been built. The re-evaluation of what and how we teach and its entanglement with colonialism and race is just one part of a bigger picture. Sitting alongside it is a growing focus on Indigenisation in settler countries where the value of First Nation knowledge is increasingly recognised. A decolonial lens can be applied to every corner of higher education and brings powerful implications for driving equity, diversity and inclusion, social justice and climate change. This collection of resources examines decolonisation within and beyond the curriculum, looking at what, in practical terms, can be done to advance it.

Why is self-reflection core to decolonisation and anti-racism in the academy?

To move beyond rhetoric, hollow commitments and well-intentioned one-time efforts, we must hold ourselves accountable, says a team from Simon Fraser University

Multiple authors

Simon Fraser University

Taking a broader view

Road towards Aoraki mountain on South Island, New Zealand

Can we really decolonise the university?

To explore what is possible, non-Indigenous scholars Mahdis Azarmandi and Sara Tolbert offer an anticolonial feminist praxis for unsettling settler institutions

Mahdis Azarmandi , Sara Tolbert

Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury

A graphic of a colonial ship

Power and possibility: the role of universities in decolonisation

The question of decolonisation has grown in prominence in higher education in the past decade. Foluke Adebisi looks at why the concept is so often misinterpreted – and what is needed for universities to do it well

Foluke Adebisi

University of Bristol

Two hands, one offering up a tree growing out of the earth, the other offering up a high-rise city

Decolonisation as a driver for the Sustainable Development Goals

How decolonial approaches can underpin and drive work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals across higher education

Sean Porter, Eleanor Cook

University of Exeter

Group of female students joining hands in a show of unity

How to decolonise initial teacher education: start with yourself

Decolonisation has the potential to rattle higher education’s sandstones and ivory towers, yet many struggle to know where to start. Karen Lambert and lisahunter use the context of initial teacher education in Australia to explain that it starts with you

Karen Lambert, lisahunter

Monash University

To save higher education, we must look beyond traditional university models

If we are to radically transform universities, we must seek solutions from diverse learning projects that have historically been excluded from, or remained separate to, higher education, argue Fern Thompsett, Kristen Lyons and Richard Hil

Fern Thompsett, Kristen Lyons, Richard Hil

Columbia University , The University of Queensland , Griffith University

Where decolonisation meets Indigenisation

Australian Aboriginal flag

Decolonisation to Indigenisation: how can institutions centre Indigenous knowledge?

Beyond the concept of decolonisation is the process of Indigenisation. Here, Raelee Lancaster provides four reflective questions that institutions can ask themselves when considering how to respect and elevate Indigenous knowledge

Raelee Lancaster

The University of Queensland

Australian aboriginal hands against red dirt road illustrating exchange of Indigenous wisdom

Steps to decolonise higher education: after yourself, change the curriculum

Opening the curriculum to First Nations’ histories and knowledge is a key part of decolonisation, as lisahunter and Karen Lambert explain in this second part of their series

lisahunter, Karen Lambert

Monash University

Indigenous Australian people perform a ritual of lighting a fire

Indigenous knowledge provides skills for lifelong learning that AI cannot

Indigenous ways of knowing can provide skills and strategies for learning that could assist educators in addressing the climate emergency, decolonisation and balance the outsourcing of knowledge to AI, Alexandra Sherlock writes

Alexandra Sherlock

RMIT University

Indian pow wow

Decolonising interview methods: a call to look to the moon

The interview process often rests on colonial perceptions of what counts as knowledge, how knowledge is generated and who ‘owns’ it. But researchers can use orienting questions to reflect upon and decentre this approach

Rosalind Edwards, Teah Carlson , Rachel Liebert

University of Southampton, Massey University, University of East London

Higher education has a crucial role to play in reaching out to Indigenous communities

Indigenous researcher Roselind Wan outlines strategies for universities hoping to champion Indigenous languages and inclusion

Roselind Wan

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)

Back to basics

Advice on where to start in decolonising your curriculum

Decolonising the curriculum – how do I get started?

Rowena Arshad provides pointers for any teaching academics considering how to get started on decolonising their curriculum

Rowena Arshad

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on supporting academics staff in taking their first steps towards decolonising curricula

How to support academic staff starting the journey of decolonising the curriculum

How do you support the endeavours of academic staff and build student voice into an institution-wide effort to decolonise the curriculum? Mhairi Taylor and Nighet Riaz share lessons from the University of Glasgow’s action plan

Mhairi Taylor, Nighet Riaz

University of Glasgow

Image of old books packed up

Decolonising your learning resources: representation matters

Find out what steps can be taken to review your learning resources from an anti-racism lens and why this is important for both ethnic minority and white students

Musarrat Maisha Reza, Amy McEwan, Emily Calvo-Hobbs

University of Exeter

Primary sources

Decolonising learning through access to primary sources

Mathematicians have always looked at old problems in new ways. A database of original sources will give university-level mathematics students a global, historical view of their subject

June Barrow-Green , Brigitte Stenhouse

The Open University

A global effort to decolonise a reading list

Academics and students from five countries worked together to decolonise a reading list for a public health module, through a global lens. Here, they describe how they did it

Zheng Feei Ma, Kim Duffy, Juming Shen

University of the West of England Bristol, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Decolonising medicine

Medical students learning about decolonisation in the context of healthcare

Decolonising medicine, part one: taking the first steps

Decolonisation should not be limited to arts and social sciences, but many struggle with how to apply it across STEM disciplines. In her first resource, Musarrat Maisha Reza shares advice on effective approaches to decolonising medicine

Musarrat Maisha Reza

University of Exeter

Medical students discuss issues of decolonisation relating to medicine

Decolonising medicine, part two: empowering students

The decolonisation of medicine involves making students active agents of their learning and designing assessments relevant to the skills gained through the process, as Musarrat Maisha Reza explains in her second advice resource on the topic

Musarrat Maisha Reza

University of Exeter

Image of an elderly men receiving a vaccine

Decolonising medicine, part three: uncovering silenced voices and histories

Lecturers should ensure they present the full picture when teaching medicine, detailing exploitation and marginalisation of certain groups in the advancement of medical science, as Musarrat Maisha Reza and Emily Calvo-Hobbs explain

Musarrat Maisha Reza, Emily Calvo-Hobbs

University of Exeter