Helen Williams, Associate Professor in Politics, Faculty of Social Sciences
1. What curricular changes did you make?
I have tried to start decolonising my practise on two modules: a first-year introduction to research design and statistical analysis, and a third-year research-led specialist module on migration studies.
For the first-year module, I use the theory of postmaterialism and value change to look at topics like nationalism and Clash of Civilisations using the World and European Values Surveys as the core data. I have tried to expand my use of examples and data to become less Eurocentric. There are some wonderful comparative datasets out there that are massively underutilised, like AfroBarometer and Arab Barometer.
What comes through really clearly from looking at a wider array of examples is that humans really aren’t that different to each other, and there is often more variation within a group that is seen as monolithic (eg ‘the Arab world’, ‘Americans’) than between groups. This approach has been really important for students (and me!) to realise that theories like Clash of Civilisations just don’t hold up against data.
On my third-year module, I’ve tried to make one significant change each year, looking to move away from the Eurocentric narrative of ‘all migrants want to come to Europe, and Europe is full’. Instead, I try to look at a balance between sending and receiving countries – and they’re not always the countries you expect – and different perspectives and voices.
I have brought in examples from a wider range of countries and try to give greater voice to the experience especially of women of colour who migrate. Students’ assessment by original research also allows students to look at their family history or learn about their communities, validating their identity and encouraging them to explore their heritage. This has resulted in fascinating original research on the Kindertransport, multi-generational identities of African Asians, and exploring the use of affirmative action to promote specific ethnic groups in diverse countries.
2. What challenges and issues did you face?
One of the biggest challenges was increasing my own knowledge base so that I could cover a wider array of examples confidently and could point students to much broader sources of data. I have had to confront the amount I emphasise white scholars, perspectives and voices. There is also often an assumption that staff are the main source of resistance to change, but students can also be very uncomfortable with confronting the colonial assumptions of their knowledge.
This has sometimes resulted in negative comments on student evaluations or student resentment at a perceived left-wing bias. I try to teach from a perspective of evidence and empirical research, but this can be very uncomfortable. On the other hand, this can be a very positive experience for students whose voices have been marginalised, or who feel that they have not previously had opportunities to explore their identity as part of their academic studies.
3. What can we learn from your experiences about decolonising the curriculum?
One of the key lessons from my experience is that it could be very difficult for an early-career teacher and/or someone who does not have control over module content decisions to implement some of the changes that I have. Because I have the luxury of a permanent position and have strategic oversight of these modules, I have been able to implement widespread change and have been less vulnerable to the career impact of negative student evaluations.
On the other hand, there is a lot that we can do in our own practice, from simple things like checking how many white faces appear on teaching materials to looking for evidence from a wider range of sources. Students have often showed enthusiasm for studying countries they had not previously considered, and many of them have taught me a lot in the process.
The key to the approach I’ve taken is to make one significant change each year, which should be achievable for most people. This doesn’t result in dramatic change but makes it more sustainable and slowly expands our knowledge base. My greater level of comfort in teaching these topics also affects students’ willingness to take them on and push their own boundaries.