Decolonization Theory and Practice

Decolonization refers to ‘writing back’ against the ongoing colonialism and colonial mentalities that permeate all institutions and systems of government, according to Eric Ritskes, editor of Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education and Society. Indeed, decolonization demands an Indigenous framework and a centering of Indigenous land, Indigenous sovereignty, and Indigenous ways of thinking, write Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang in their essay “Decolonization Is Not a Metaphor”.

(Re)building culture must interrogate colonialism’s turmoil on the inner world and psyche, explains Franz Fanon. Artists, authors, and activists draw on Fanon’s writings, [...]

“The reach of imperialism into ‘our heads’ challenges those who belong to colonized communities to understand how this occurred, partly because we perceive a need to decolonize our minds, to recover ourselves, to claim a space in which to develop a sense of authentic humanity.”

~ Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples

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