Please note that the location of this event has changed to the lobby of the Macadam Building.
One interesting feature of the discussion about decolonising the curriculum has been that there has been no direct questioning of the need to decolonise the curriculum.
Critics have raised questions in indirect ways, often focusing on specifics rather than the fundamentals. Concerns about unthinking political correctness, change for the sake of change, and dilution of quality that would purportedly follow this decolonisation, abound. Nevetheless many universities are looking for ways to incorporate some elements of decolonisation as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The very lack of a meaningful and fundamental debate is dangerous. It is important to think through and discuss what the precise aims of decolonisation should be. Should we diversify the curriculum to reflect reality better? to make up for historical injustices? To make education fit for the purpose of 21st century employment? Is it needed for moral, political or practical reasons? These may not be mutually exclusive concerns but may require some prioritisation.
The answers to these questions are also linked inextricably to the specific changes universities might undertake. Do we need to just add more courses that bring in non-European, non-white perspectives? Do we need to modify all courses? Is it a problem only for social sciences and humanities to tackle? How does one undertake decolonisation within basic and applied sciences? In short, are we looking at a fundamental questioning of knowledge production and consumption practices or at the incorporation of a few additional perspectives?
About the speaker
Humeira Iqtidar is a senior lecturer in politics. Her work is concerned with decolonizing political theory through a focus on modern Islamic thought and practice. She is the author of Secularising Islamists? (Chicago, 2011) and was the lead investigator in the ERC Funded project "Tolerance in Contemporary Muslim Political Practice: Political Theory Beyond the West".
'Reclaiming the Curriculum'
This is the latest in the 'Reclaiming the Curriculum' seminar series, exploring issues of critical importance to the future of UK higher education.