decolonise

Fifty years after the discovery of Lucy, it’s time to ‘decolonise paleoanthropology’ says leading Ethiopian fossil expert – podcast

Fifty years after the discovery of Lucy, it’s time to ‘decolonise paleoanthropology’ says leading Ethiopian fossil expert – podcast: On November 24 1974, renowned American paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson spotted “a piece of elbow with humanlike anatomy” poking out of a rocky hillside in northern Ethiopia. It was the first fossil of a partial skeleton belonging …

African architects challenge Venice exhibition to decolonise and start new conversations

African architects challenge Venice exhibition to decolonise and start new conversations: Ghanaian-born curator of the biennale, Lesley Lokko. Jacopo Salvi/La Biennale di Venezia Presented since 1979, the Venice Architecture Biennale (La Biennale di Venezia) is possibly the most influential architecture exhibition in the world. For the first time, this year’s edition is curated by an …

Peru riots: unrest in southern Andes lays bare an urgent need to decolonise

Peru riots: unrest in southern Andes lays bare an urgent need to decolonise: Peru is in flames. Since early December, massive, often violent, protests have engulfed the South American nation. Demonstrators concentrated in the country’s southern Andean regions took to the streets after the then president, Pedro Castillo, was deposed for attempting to mount a …

Comment le Sénégal a décolonisé sa diplomatie – à commencer par Kennedy et Senghor

Comment le Sénégal a décolonisé sa diplomatie – à commencer par Kennedy et Senghor: President Leopold Senghor (1974). Photo par Henri Bureau/Sygma/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images Dans sa lutte pour se libérer de la France, le peuple sénégalais a parfaitement compris qu’obtenir son indépendance ne suffirait pas. La véritable victoire serait d’obtenir une indépendance durable. Soixante-deux …

Five shifts to decolonise ecological science – or any field of knowledge

Five shifts to decolonise ecological science – or any field of knowledge: The are massive numbers of bird species named after European surnames. Shutterstock The COVID-19 pandemic will change a lot about the way knowledge is produced, especially in the fields of science, technology, engineering and medicine. Social movements such as Black Lives Matter have …

Beyond name changes and pulling down statues – how to decolonise business schools

Beyond name changes and pulling down statues – how to decolonise business schools: Shutterstock.com From banks to breweries, a growing number of organisations are acknowledging their historic links to the slave trade and making commitments to address racial inequalities in their workplaces. It follows the surge in support for the Black Lives Matter movement around the …

Brands may support Black Lives Matter, but advertising still needs to decolonise

Brands may support Black Lives Matter, but advertising still needs to decolonise: Piqsels, CC BY-SA Brands such as Nike and Adidas to PG Tips and Space NK have been expressing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement by issuing statements and adverts of support – from Nike playing with their memorable tagline of “Just Do …

Director of science at Kew: it’s time to decolonise botanical collections

Director of science at Kew: it’s time to decolonise botanical collections: Shutterstock/Toms Auzins I’ve often struggled to answer the simple question, “Where are you from?” As I was born and raised in Brazil, like many people my origin is mixed – comprising indigenous, African and Mediterranean ancestors – and I dislike pre-defined labels. Having lived …

Questions academics can ask to decolonise their classrooms

Questions academics can ask to decolonise their classrooms: Asking questions can create new ways of teaching and learning. StepanPopov/Shutterstock The curriculum is not just the “stuff” that students must learn to be knowledgeable and skilled in a particular discipline. It’s about more than just content. Sociologists of education argue that “curriculum” is a highly ideological …

What would it mean to decolonise palaeontology? Here are some ideas

What would it mean to decolonise palaeontology? Here are some ideas: The fossil of a Mesosaurus tenuidens, which provided important clues about tectonic shifts. Courtesy of Philippe Loubry – CNRS/MNHN The call by students to “decolonise science” still rings in many South African academics’ ears. But discussions about what t might entail, or even if …

Fela’s music can decolonise international law in African universities

Fela’s music can decolonise international law in African universities: From Fela Kuti's album, 'Beast of No Nation'. Beast of No Nation LP. International law in African universities is still taught within a rigid Eurocentric context. Changing this is important, but also incredibly difficult given how entrenched the current approach is. Surprisingly Nigerian musician Fela Ransome-Kuti …

It will take critical, thorough scrutiny to truly decolonise knowledge

It will take critical, thorough scrutiny to truly decolonise knowledge: There are many different ways to approach the thorny issue of decolonising knowledge. Shutterstock It has become unfashionable to admit that one doesn’t really understand what phrases like “decolonising knowledge” or “a decolonised curriculum” mean. This is unfortunate. The process of coming to understand what …