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Decolonialism in Higher Education - Coggle Diagram
Decolonialism in Higher Education
Decolonization in South African Universities, specifically the #RhodesMustFall movement
Student protesters from UCT called for the removal of a statue of English colonizer Cecil Rhodes on the grounds that it represented white supremacy and eurocentrism in academia
Pushback included those who declared that protesters were vandalizing South African heritage by defacing the statues
The Stream - 'Decolonising' South African Universities
Also coincides with an apparent lack of
racial diversity in the administration of South African academic campuses
Students expressed issue with the fact that decisions made on their behalf (i.e. whether or not to remove the statue) were usually made without students present
Many protesters expressed that erasing the history was not the goal, just to critically examine the racist history the school was celebrating with the statue's prominence
For protesters, the statue was a representative symbol of university culture and its many racist manifestations
Very importantly, the statue protest was
not only about the statue
, it was about the racial disparity in the academic environment that the statue symbolized-- the statue paired with the overwhelming lack of black educators at the school show the devaluing of black voices in this academic context
Similar discussions to those surrounding statues of Confederate leaders in the US
Symbols like these are prime examples of neocolonialism- the notion that colonialism is something entirely historical and separated from current reality is incredibly flawerd
Questions academics can ask to decolonise their classrooms
Written by Kathy Luckett and Shannon Morreira, professors at UCT
"Sociologists of education argue that 'curriculum' is a highly ideological hybrid discourse, rather than simply the stuff that students must learn
Many South African students have argued that university curricula are largely imported from Europe, and that African-based research and learning structures are regularly left out
Additionally, they argue that these schools don't take into account the variety of learning and cultural backgrounds in their students
Decolonisation requires more than simple adjustments to learning material, it requires a more broad structural view of academic structures
Curriculum vs. Pedagogy: content vs. ways of teaching
Broader examination is essential to create a more equitable and hospitable environment for students of different backgrounds
Restructuring ways of teaching can allow students to better engage with the course content and their peers
Equity in higher education goes beyond ease of access, it also requires equally-accessible methods of teaching rather than dogmatic and traditional classroom practices