Decolonization, Beyond Readings

I've been wrestling with actively decolonizing my courses over the last couple of years, and recognize that a lot 'standard' practices/policies in my syllabi were colonizing practices. They were punitive simply to be punitive, and while the logic of them was something I understood, I think they framed post-secondary as a stick, and instructor as the ultimate authority rather than the subject matter expert.

I think it's great to talk about adding Indigenous authors to syllabi, but I think alongside that, it's imperative to recognize the policies and practices that colonial institutions have embedded in our thinking and allowed us to take for granted. I'm not done with mine by any stretch, but my policies are increasingly flexible, and aim to recognize cultural difference.

This is facinating to me. I never put much thought to this topic before. I would love to hear more about how this looks on a daily basis. Please let me know if I can talk to someone further so I can become more knowledgeable. The first step to working through my own biases is recognizing that I have them and knowing how they are embedded into my everyday life.

This is such a great post. While Indigenous culture is imperative for students to learn about, that is only half of the equation. The other half, as you have pointed out, are the colonizational ideas we practice in our courses everyday. I would have never considered educational practices as colonizing and that just goes to show the privilege I have encountered all my life. Just as important as it is to expose students to cultural differences, it is also important we do not simply gloss over our own material's sources, and assume that today's curricular objectives have evolved passed the practices implemented by the colonial institution so long ago. I would love to hear more about this topic.