In June 2020, following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the toppling of the Colston statue in Bristol, a group of University of Bristol staff and students united in their commitment to anti-racism in all aspects of campus life came together to form decoloniseUoB.
In late 2020, decoloniseUoB launched an audit to map practices around decolonisation of research across the University. Three members launched the audit (Ellen O’ Gorman, Vivienne Kuh, and Sandi Dheensa), by no means as experts in this field, but as academics interested in highlighting the work being done and the experiences of researchers in the University. The audit asked how researchers were defining decolonisation, what decolonial practices they were using in their research, and what barriers and obstacles they faced.
Sixty-seven people responded to the audit, fifty-four of whom said they were engaged in decolonisation.
Definitions of decolonisation
The mapping document begins with respondents’ views about defining, and definitions of, ‘decolonising research’. These views fell under six key themes, which are illustrated by quotations from respondents:
- Should we ‘define’ decolonisation / decolonising practices?
Many respondents pointed out that defining decolonisation can be problematic because it identifies decolonisation as an unchanging thing that can be ‘acquired’. Instead, they referred to decolonising as a continual process involving self-reflection.
“I don’t set out a singular definition, but I engage with the struggle over its meaning… I prefer to use the term ‘decolonising’ rather than ‘decolonise’ to underscore the ongoing, unfinished process involved.” [Education].
- (a) Practical and (b) theoretical dimensions of decolonising research
Decolonising research had very practical/material dimensions for many respondents, such as noticing and overcoming the dominance of White European voices in their field of research, and creating equal collaboration with non-university groups, especially in low-middle income country (LMIC) settings. There were also theoretical/epistemic dimensions that often overlap with the practical, such as interrogating how the system of knowledge production is implicated in Eurocentrism and colonialism and challenging the presumed division between subject and object of knowledge.
- Decolonising research involves challenging the premises of research.
Because decolonising entails interrogating the system of knowledge production, it often proceeded by scrutinising a discipline’s hierarchies of knowledge. This may involve drawing attention to the bias implicit in specific procedures of gathering material or challenging the presumed superiority of mind, thought, cognition over body, emotion, and wisdom. There was often an explicit attention on articulating new methodologies to overcome colonial legacies within a discipline. “Decolonising research… problematises a sharp dichotomy between colonialism as violent exploitation on the one hand and international development projects as benign humanitarian assistance for progress on the other. It does so by demonstrating the usually ignored colonial origins of development scholarship and practice.” [SPAIS]
- Decolonising research involves seeking out collaborative modes of knowledge production
Because decolonising entails challenging the presumed division between the subject and object of knowledge, it often involves collaboration or co-production of knowledge. Many respondents drew attention to the practical elements of co-production and also the need to develop methodologies that enable genuine co-production and that do not replicate old Eurocentric habits. In this context, many reflected on the appropriate terminology used to refer to ‘co-researchers’.
- Decolonising research can be very discipline-specific
At a theoretical level decolonising research is resistant to universal definitions and modes of practice. What decolonising means to different researchers across the University was often very discipline-specific, but could still be recognisable as a decolonising practice or intention. “In the case of Economics, all the theories, approaches and modes of thought that aim to understand economic and social phenomena from a non-Western, non-white and non-male perspectives”. [Economics]
- Decolonising overlaps with other terms and practices.
Researchers engaged in feminism will recognise some of the issues here, and some respondents felt that decolonising should go hand-in-hand with the dismantling of patriarchal systems of knowledge. Many respondents felt that critique of racism and white supremacy was central to decolonising. Some see a difference between the necessity for anti-racism work in the University and the task of decolonising research.
Decolonial practices researchers were using
Practices are organised by Faculty within the document, under eight themes, including:
– Applying decolonising theory and approaches: “At Bristol, the Black Health and the Humanities project for which I’m a research associate also uses decolonial methodology, ways of knowing beyond Eurocentrism, that incorporate the body and emotions.” [Centre for Black Humanities]
– Applying theory adjacent to, or with potential for, decolonisation: “I used Institutional Ethnography (IE) a feminist sociology focusing on the organising power of texts and language within institutions.” [Bristol Vet School]
– Working with others in an explicitly decolonial way: “I deliberately work with knowledge producers outside of the academy. My work involves coproduction, co-labour and thinking with literary producers, activists and collectives in various parts of the African continent. We emphasise modes of knowledge production that do not conform to the Euro-Enlightenment concept of ‘academic writing’ or ‘science’ and which draw on multiple epistemes and positionalities.” [English]
– Co-production and community-based research: steps towards decolonisation: “My work over the past few years has been focused on filling the ethnicity health data gap. This includes coproducing research priorities and questions with diverse communities and creating inclusive spaces.” [Centre for Academic Mental Health]
– Work that has explored what decolonisation means: “I conducted a survey of 30 different art historians from across the globe (UK, USA, Africa, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, Canada, India) about what ‘decolonising art history’ means to them.” [History of Art, Centre for Black Humanities]
– Developing and challenging practice through reading and networking groups: “I run a decolonial reading group within the School, but it has attracted participants from outside the School.” [Geographical Science]
A handful of respondents—mainly early career researchers (ECRs)—said they were not currently or actively decolonising research but would like to do so: they wanted more training, insight, and guidance. “The concept of decolonising research is newer to me…on reflection, there is so much scope for thought here. Working decolonisation into my own research as an ECR on a first research post seems difficult…the project aims and planning are already in place. … I am keen to hear more about training or events that might trigger conversations and learning for individual (and especially ECR) researchers about decolonisation in research practices for both reflecting on existing projects, and when thinking about new areas of work.”
They also indicated that they would need support from senior researchers/managers to do this work.
The personal, institutional, and structural barriers respondents experienced to doing this work included: bias, ignorance and resistance from powerful voices; lack of funding options; high-income universities as grant holders; hiring practices disadvantaging low-middle income (LMIC) researchers; and research pressures—time-pressures and pressure to be first author on publications.
Respondents were given the opportunity to make final comments. Notably, almost all of these centred on a need to support and recognise the staff doing decolonisation work; a need for powerful academics to shift their thinking; and a need for institutional support in the form of time, resources, and funding, both to further the decolonisation process and elevate researchers from marginalised groups.
Find the mapping document here decolonising research – mapping practices (PDF version) and here decolonising research – mapping practices (Word version – we invite interested folks to update it in future).
The mapping document is intended to invoke inspiration and ideas around how to adopt decolonised approaches in research and to inspire collaboration and conversation between the respondents. Please share it with colleagues and friends.