Towards ‘Decolonizing’ Curriculum and Pedagogy (DCP) across Disciplines and Global HE Context
30 Sep 2021, CGHE webinar
CHAIR: David Mills, University of Oxford
Riyad Shahjahan, Michigan State University
Kirsten T. Edwards, Florida International University
Annabelle L. Estera, Endicott College
Drawing on the global interdisciplinary literature on decolonizing curriculum and pedagogy (DCP) in higher education, we critically examined the idea of decolonizing in the context of disciplines and universities around the world. Based on a critical analysis of 207 articles/book chapters published in English and centering a geopolitics of knowledge frame (Mignolo, 2003, 2011), we present three themes: a) decolonizing meaning/s b) actualizing decolonization, and c) challenges. We observed three major meanings of decolonization and four ways to actualize DCP that were driven by geographical, disciplinary, institutional and/or stakeholder contexts. We argue that, while there are similarities within the literature, ultimately the meanings, actualizations and challenges of DCP are contextual, which has political and epistemological consequences. We end by offering directions for educational research on DCP, revealing the possibility for a field or discipline of decolonial studies.
———-
This is the eighth and final webinar in CGHE’s special series, Racism and Coloniality in Global Higher Education. You can find out more about the full series here.