Decolonising the Curriculum: Teaching and Learning about Race Equality

Welcome to Issue 4 of Decolonising the Curriculum – Teaching and Learning about Race Equality. High interest in our previous issues have called for the opportunity to share wider views, interpretations and experiences of the concept. This interest demonstrates the broad impact of our work in research and knowledge exchange. Issue 4 offers a multidisciplinary voice for decolonising the curriculum given by academics and students from across five UK Higher Education institutions. Lambros Fatsis (School of Applied Social Sciences, University of Brighton) raises concerns with the implementation of black scholarship into the curriculum without black people included in the power structure of universities taking a lead on this intellectually, culturally and materially. Olga Lidia Saavedra Montes de Oca (School of Media, Arts and Humanities, University of Sussex) voices her scepticism with the decolonisation process taking place within UK institutions, due its disconnection from people’s real struggles. This is a tension against what she sees as the need to maintain ownership of this academic platform for strengthening and broadening networks between scholars, activists and artists all committed to dismantling structural racism in academia and society. Next, Shreya Savadia, Chelsea Priscila Gomes Da Costa and Holly Jackson (Nottingham Trent University BA Hons. Education students) reflect on their experiences of teaching and learning through the school national curriculum. They call for action and commitment with decolonising the curriculum by improving design and delivery of course and module content to make this more ethnically and culturally representative of all pupils in the classroom. In her article, Lisa Opoku (Masters of Education student, University of East London and primary school teacher) argues that change and positive action with decolonising the curriculum can only be effective when school leaders face up to the negative existence of racism. Melanie Norman (formerly a Geography tutor, School of Education, University of Brighton) offers an overview of how she sees geography teachers are working towards eliminating the dominance of whiteness in teaching and learning, allowing for more broader and inclusive educational opportunities. Finally, Katherine Rostron (Salford Business School, University of Salford) shares her account of decolonising the curriculum through course review and changes implemented to a level five cross cultural communication module of teaching and learning. All in all, another fabulous collection of unique responses to the concept which can support with advancing thinking and action for transforming policy and practice.