Chapter 9

Decolonisation toolkits: reflections on two staff-student partnerships designed to challenge and rebuild post-George Floyd

Layout of the Decolonisation Toolkit

Collaborative definition of 'decolonising the curriculum'

Disclaimer: the definition below is intended to guide individuals and teams in exploring our Decolonising the Curriculum Toolkit. It is not intended to limit localised definitions, activities or expressions. It is relatively long due to both the nuances of the topic and the extensive consultation that underpins it.

Decolonisation is a concept and practice that is understood in multiple ways, taking shape through diverse contexts and movements. In a sense, decolonising movements are as old as colonialism itself, and what we are able to do today, relies on contributions going back to Toussaint l’Ouverture, Karl Marx and Mahatma Gandhi as well as Frantz Fanon and Ali Shariati. This introduction and Higher Education (HE) teaching toolkit is grounded in the huge body of research and writing available on the topic including, but not limited to, Indigenous studies, postcolonial theory, feminist theory and queer theory, as well as critical race theory and critical pedagogies. Our current terminology – decolonisation – leans strongly on the South American theorisation of ‘coloniality’ and ‘decoloniality’, as developed by scholars including Aniball Quijano (2000), María Lugones (2008) and Walter Mignolo (2017).

We define decolonisation as the process which critically assesses and contextualises the assumed universality of Western thought, while simultaneously dismantling power structures inherited from, or strengthened by, the practices of colonisation (e.g., patriarchy and heteronormativity; see Lugones 2010; Vergés 2021). Decolonisation seeks to confront the systemic disadvantages experienced by those who have been racialised and marginalised through colonial violence and contemporary manifestations of ongoing oppression. Decolonising movements aim to de-centre white, heteronormative, masculine, ableist privileges, and work collectively to create socially just futures defined by those subject to colonisation, racialisation and inequality (see Mohanty 2003; Flowers 2015; Boudreau Morris 2016).

As a practice of decolonisation, "decolonising the curriculum” addresses the ongoing complicity of Higher Education institutions in the production of knowledge as a tool of colonial oppression, and a site where ‘western’ norms of understanding are embedded and passed on through generations of students as Universal truths. It is also a practice that has been employed by colleagues in Higher Education across the World to challenge these issues and effect change. Many Higher Education institutions (including the University of Exeter through its antecedent institutions and the land it occupies) were formed in (and funded by) a context of racialised violence, which perpetuates the systemic disadvantage of marginalised peoples in our contemporary society.

Decolonising the curriculum does not simply mean including the intellectual achievements of non-white peoples and cultures in our courses. It is an internal culture shift made by examining what is considered and valued as common, normative, or universal knowledge, juxtaposed against the practice of devaluing philosophies and knowledge systems of peoples who have historically been marginalised.

In the context of this toolkit, we refer to “the curriculum” as the content of academic modules and programmes; by ‘pedagogy’ we mean the methods we use for teaching, assessment, and academic support. Decolonising the curriculum requires us to address all of these areas.

Our working definition and teaching toolkit act as a framework to support educators wishing to decolonise their teaching content and practices. These resources have been developed in dialogue with groups across the University governance structure and beyond. Developing this definition and subsequent content and activity was a collaborative effort by the Exeter Decolonising Network, the Success and Inclusive Education Working Group, Provost Commission, Race Equality Group Self-Assessment Team, Decolonising the Curriculum- Teaching Toolkit project team, students, and members of staff across the University. Localised definitions and approaches in Departments, Colleges and Directorates are expected and encouraged. After a period of consultation, the following clarifications have been included on the intentions, remit, and assumptions of this definition:

We do not use this definition to limit discussion, debate, or activity. We encourage colleagues to consider this work within the context of their disciplines.
Our approach to Decoloniality centres around geographical colonisation, racial capitalism and the effects of colonial violence in the past, present and on our futures.
We acknowledge inequality and injustice in all its forms and we support colleagues doing the same. Intersectional is fundamental to decoloniality, recognising that the origins of marginalisation were endemic to a colonial subjectivity based on white, ableist, heteronormative superiority. We approach Decoloniality as a stance against all bigotry, be it racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, xenophobia, and so forth.
We invite everyone who is part of our university community is invited to explore Decolonisation within their contexts. This includes all staff and students. This exercise can be accompanied by discomfort and unfamiliarity, we encourage a combination of practicing self-care and perseverance.
It is expected that this working definition will adapt over time. Please contact the academic development team if you have any comments, please email academicdevelopment@exeter.ac.uk.

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