Decolonization in Education: More Than Just a Buzzword

As we move into National Native American Heritage Month, it is crucial that we not only acknowledge the Indigenous peoples whose land we are on but also reflect on how colonialist practices and ideologies continue to influence our perspectives and can be deeply woven into educational structures and systems. Often the culture of Native Americans is thought of historically rather than as something that is living and present.

We must change the narrative surrounding Native Americans. Additionally, we must consider ways in which we can fight back against these ideologies to engage in a richer understanding of the world around us.

Defining colonization

First, let’s begin by defining “colonization.” Derived from Latin “colonia,” meaning “land estate” or “a farm,” and “colonus,” meaning “farmer,” colonization involves the development of permanent settlements by foreign populations. Colonization more specifically refers to the dominance of one group or individual’s ideas and perspectives over others. Furthermore, according to Merriam-Webster, it is the “subjugation of a people or area, especially as an extension of state power.”

Eurocentrism is also deeply linked with colonizing practices, and it refers to the view of Western beliefs and ideologies as superior or more “right.” The Education Information Resources Center emphasizes that the “dominance of Eurocentric knowledge in education has contributed to a reality in which teachers, principals, system leaders, parents, and even the very structures, pedagogies, and curriculum in the education system have been steeped in “cognitive imperialism.” Cognitive imperialism refers to the mental dominance of Eurocentric colonialist ideas.

In schools across America, the history of indigenous peoples and the early English settlers of America is often taught from one perspective, often that of the English colonists. This is an example of a colonizing practice within education because it limits a student’s understanding of a historical event to the viewpoint of one group.

For example, the history of Thanksgiving is often told as this: Indigenous Wampanoag peoples celebrated the first successful harvest with Pilgrims who came from England to Plymouth colony. However, in reality, there is so much more complexity and nuance to the story.

Similarly, the portrayal of Columbus and his conquest in many schools often overlooks the brutal force and violence employed by Columbus and many of his fellow Spanish settlers on the Indigenous peoples of the land, providing students with only one lens through which to look at this event. Whether we are fully aware of it or not, these colonizing practices deeply shape our perceptions of one another, the past, and the present world.

Decolonization at its core

The history

This leads us to the idea of decolonization, which refers to the removal of long-standing, deep-rooted limitations and prejudices that affect how we perceive events, most often in history. As Winston Churchill said, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” This epitomizes what decolonization is a practice that does not erase or eliminate dominating perspectives but rather provides a space for examining other points of view that may not be frequently voiced or discussed in history. Additionally, decolonization values progression and growth and prompts us to interrogate historical systems put in place by certain groups.

To more deeply understand decolonization today, we must first look at its historical emergence. Following World War II, decolonization became a prominent global movement as influential colonial powers like France and Britain, who surrendered to the Japanese in 1942, weakened.

In 1960, decolonization gained prominence when several new states joined the United Nations and the Declaration on Decolonization of Granting Independence to Colonial Countries and People was adopted. This declaration sought to bring colonialism “in all its forms and manifestations to a speedy and unconditional end” and reasserts the independence of UN member nations.

During the 1970s, decolonization became a more commonly used term—over two dozen English studies contained the word “decolonization” in their titles. This reflected the increasing awareness of the wealth and living inequities between previous colonial powers and colonized territories.

In response to European colonization in Asia and Africa, decolonization became an intellectual movement to separate Europe from its position as a dominant force, not just geographically, but in education and culture. In our modern world, decolonization continues to be a powerful movement that calls for “confronting, interrogating, resisting, and disrupting colonial endeavors (physically, psychologically, and ideologically).”

Applied to education

At San Francisco University High School, an independent school in California, decolonization is embedded into their curriculum. In the required class, “Civilization and the Arts,” students are taught to critically examine what is traditionally considered the early “West” and explore the transcultural influences from around the world during this period that are interwoven into what many consider “Western or European” ideas. This class is broken into three disciplines: art, music, and history.

Terrence Brewer, a teacher for the music portion of this class, describes colonization as “one group taking over physically, spatially, and economically the lives and livelihoods of other people.” Furthermore, he says, as an educator, decolonization entails “looking at the curriculum I teach and finding areas where a larger systemic oppression and suppression has impacted underrepresented/marginalized folks.”

A student at the high school said, “Decolonization involves diversifying the perspectives we’re taught in history, which are often from the ‘winning side.’ Looking at history from the ‘winning side,’ we will often gloss over a lot of the terrible things they did to other communities.”

Colonizing practices can seep into numerous aspects of our lives, from the music we listen to (as Brewer mentions) to the art we look at, the news we consume, and the books we read. Brewer highlights that one can have a colonized mindset even when listening to music, valuing it only if it sounds a specific way or has certain qualities or properties.

Decolonizing education provides students with a richer education and understanding of the world around them, fostering a mindset in which we are curious and question what is happening around us and can understand how certain belief systems and ideologies have shaped our own perspectives.

However, decolonizing education is by no means easy—numerous educational systems across the country have deep-rooted and long-standing structures that are stubborn to change. Yet, decolonizing education is crucial not only for the betterment of students' education but also as a step towards acknowledging America’s past and moving forward on this path of progression towards a more equitable future.

It is also worth mentioning that decolonizing education is and will always be a continuous practice that involves growth and understanding.

How we can practice decolonization

In order to participate in a more inclusive, enriching environment, we must question the biases, stereotypes, and perspectives that have dominated what we learn and think in the classroom. “A teacher is doing a disservice to themselves as an educator and their students,” Brewer notes, “if they teach what was being taught 40 years ago in the same manner, or their approach to education, can easily fall into a box that can be placed anywhere on a timeline.”

Moreover, practicing decolonization entails a deep reflection of yourself, the systems of which you are a part, and subsequently, expanding your day-to-day life, including the music you engage with and the television you watch. As Brewer says, “When we push back against forced norms of what art should be or what music should sound like, we’re immediately pulling at the threads of colonization.”