Decolonising the curriculum: challenges and opportunities for teaching and learning
Dr Marlon Moncrieffe, School of Education
Dr Yaa Asare, School of Applied Social Sciences
and Dr Robin Dunford, School of Humanities
Abstract
A renewed call to ‘decolonise’ the university curriculum has marked a shift in thinking about education and what should form the canon of curriculum content. It has been amplified further here in the UK by the ‘Rhodes must fall’ campaign. However, fresh approaches and opportunities for advancing practice in teaching and learning, with an aim to diversify the university curriculum for teaching and learning, are not without challenges. Our paper reflects on the meaning of decolonising the curriculum and on attempts to decolonise the curriculum at both institutional and subject specific level. In this article, which is in three sections, we use examples from our
own practice to reflect on some of the challenges of decolonising the curriculum and opportunities for sharing good practices amongst colleagues.
Introduction
This article outlines the need for decolonising the curriculum within and beyond the university. The call to decolonise the curriculum, made by students, social movements and academics in higher education, is a call to take seriously the legacy of colonialism in the curriculum. It is also a call to include a diverse range of experience, away from the white hegemonic world view and experience that informs much of our teaching.