Endangered Heritage Lab

Decolonising Education

Building Connections to Decolonise the Curriculum

 A collaborative project between Jadavpur University and the University of Exeter funded by the British Council, UK, 2022

Jadavpur University and the University of Exeter are collaborating to create an online module about decolonisation. This work, funded by the British Council, is meant to introduce incoming university students to this critical concept. While the module will, in the first instance, be launched internally to the two institutions, we also plan to create a version that will be hosted on the online learning platform FutureLearn so that it will be accessible to a global audience. 

The objective of the project was to look at practices and understand the status of decolisation in higher education. Interviews were conducted where experts from the University of Exeter and Jadavpur University were filmed sharing their views on decolonisation in higher education. The interviews were then edited to incorporate views from the University of Exter partners and a module is on its way to be developed in due Course. The backbone of the module is a series of films in which diverse experts selected by both institutions explored various themes related to decolonisation.

The films were shot in a ‘talking head’ style, with an off-camera interviewer asking questions and the speaker directly speaking into the camera. We had originally hoped to hold a live dialogue in a single room, but this is not possible because of technical challenges we do hope to explore opportunities for a face-to-face panel discussion in the future. Also, translations of the transcripts in five Indian Languages are ongoing which will be updated in the module so as to have a larger reach of the module to the students. 

Know More

List of Resource Persons interviewed from Jadavpur University

  1. Melissa Percival – University of Exeter
  2. Samir Saha – Mechanical Engineering Department, Jadavpur University 
  3. Nilanjana Gupta – Department of English, Jadavpur University
  4. Maroona Murmu – Department of History, Jadavpur University
  5. Sugata Hazra – School of Oceanographic Studies, Jadavpur University
  6. Partha Chatterjee – Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata
  7. Subhajit Naskar – International Relations, Jadavpur University
  8. Supriya Chaudhury – Department of English, Jadavpur University
  9. Sujit Kumar Mandal – Department of Comparative Literature, Jadavpur University
  10. Abdul Matin – International Relations, Jadavpur University
  11. Rahi Soren – School of Oceanographic Studies, Jadavpur University

However, only the first seven interviews could be uploaded and incorporated and we look forward to using the same as a resource for the  continued project.

Themes of the module

Theme I: Introduction to and overview of decolonisation

  1. What is colonisation / colonialism / imperialism? 
  2. What is decolonisation? / What does decolonisation mean to you, personally? 
  3. How does decolonisation relate to other social justice ideas and activities – e.g., inclusivity, accessibility, diversity, equality, etc.? 
  4. What opportunities does decolonisation offer? 
  5. What are the biggest barriers to, and challenges associated with, decolonisation? 
  6. What are some examples, from your own experience, that can help illustrate any of the above? 

Theme II: Decolonisation in higher education

  1. What is the historical context of the decolonisation movement within HE? 
  2. Why is decolonisation important within an HE context specifically? / Why should we work to decolonise HE? 
  3. What does it look like to decolonise the curriculum / the university? 
  4. How does decolonisation relate to, e.g., diversification, equality, inclusivity, etc.? (and do these latter ideas support or work against / distract from the former?) 
  5. What are the biggest barriers to / challenges associated with / complicating factors around, decolonisation in HE? 
  6. What are the biggest barriers to / challenges associated with / complicating factors around, decolonisation in HE? 
  7. What are some examples, from your own experience or practice, that can help illustrate any of the above? 

Theme III: Decolonising different disciplines

  1. What does decolonisation mean in different disciplines? Why is this important – what is the purpose? How does this manifest in different approaches? 
  2. What disciplinary differences do we see in decolonisation efforts? What is the reason for differences in technique? What is the reason for different speeds of engaging with decolonisation? 
  3. In what ways have you decolonised your own practice?  
  4. Do you think that your discipline has struggled more / less than others? 
  5. What good practice has inspired you from other colleagues / disciplines? 

Theme IV: Indigenous knowledge

  1. What are some of the main differences we see between ‘indigenous knowledge’ and colonial epistemologies? 
  2. What has been the impact of colonialism on indigenous knowledge? 
  3. Why is language so important to epistemology and ontology? 
  4. How can we reconcile different ontologies in the context of HE and society in general? 
  5. How can we foster plurality that welcomes and supports indigenous knowledge? 
  6. How do we engage with indigenous knowledge without appropriating it? Who is producing knowledge about indigenous people, and (how) are they involved in that process? 
  7. What concrete examples / case studies can you share to illustrate the above? 

Theme V: The power of place

  1. How and why does place affect us – historically and in contemporary time? How do ‘decolonised’ spaces maintain colonial boundaries and structures? What about internal colonisation – and the need to decolonise our minds? 
  2. How has coloniality impacted place and how we relate to it? What is the impact of sedentarisation, displacement, land grabs, boundaries, etc.? How do these impact education more specifically? 
  3. In what ways can we be more mindful of place in the context of education? What sorts of ‘places’ are important to decolonisation in the context of HE (e.g., classrooms)? Can we have ‘safe space’? 
  4. What examples can you share from your own experience or practice to illustrate the above? 

 

Theme VI: Decolonial praxis

  1. How can each of us actively act in a decolonial / anti-colonial way? How should we go about reflecting and maintaining self-awareness? How do we learn to see, e.g., privilege, inequality, injustice? What are some methods we can each employ to combat prejudice, lack of access, etc.?
  2. In the context of HE, what can staff and students do to bring about a decolonised institution
  3. How can decolonisation in HE influence society more generally? 
  4. What examples can you share from your own experience or practice to illustrate the above? 
  5. How comfortable do students from minoritised/marginalised communities feel in participating in the lectures and seminars? 
  6. How inclusive are your curricula, assessments, student committees with respect to the reading lists and topics of discussion? Have you been introduced to the decolonial approaches in your discipline? 
  7. Is your curriculum reflective of the lived experiences of a diverse student community? How does privilege manifest in the classroom? Are students from particular communities singled out? 
  8. Are students encouraged to shape the curriculum and/or initiate discussions? 

 

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