“I am proud of this book because it reflects the collective effort of so many staff and students to realise much-needed transformative change to our institution. Decolonising the university is important not only in the interests of redressing the colonial legacy, but as a means to equip future generations with access to knowledge from diverse cultural traditions that they need to become global citizens and to realise more just and sustainable futures for people and for the planet.
In the immediate aftermath of the BLM movement and the toppling of the statue of Edward Colston, the Bristol philanthropist who made his wealth from the trade in enslaved African people, there was a groundswell of activity to decolonise the university, which led to the creation of this book.
As well as talking about the layers of injustice in research collaborations – and the research on which the curriculum is based – Leon spoke about how the Africa Charter provides a framework for talking about research critically through a decolonial lens. “It’s about whose knowledge, and ways of knowing the world, are validated.”
The chapter on decolonising research includes Eyob’s case study focusing on the efforts of PARC, along with partners in Africa, to challenge the Eurocentric and Northern-led nature of many existing research partnerships.
