Decolonising in Practice

Engage with training and development focussed on decolonising. Work to embed decolonising principles in own research (e.g. literature reviews) from the beginning of the research journey.

Commit to actively seek out, learn from, and engage with research from those with underrepresented voices, who bring in different perspectives or challenge mainstream approaches in a productive way to produce excellent research.  

Aim to read, think and talk more about colonialism and empire, with a goal to reflect more on personal research methods and questions.  Engage in inclusive citation, paying due attention to scholarship from marginalised groups.  

Consider opportunities for influencing the wider structure of higher education (e.g. through opportunities associated with conferences – increasing representation from marginalised groups in lists of speakers; encouraging publication of work based on different knowledges/methodologies in reviewing/editing practice). 

Ensure practices adhere to decolonising principles, for example committing to establishing research partnerships that do not produce or reproduce extractive and exploitative relationships.  Carefully consider funding sources and who is resourcing our research.  Support funding schemes for those who are marginalised and/or working on marginalised topics. 

Engage in discussions about decolonising research. Use specialist expertise to facilitate or encourage decolonising practices by academic colleagues. Undertake training and development focussed on decolonising.  Be open to inclusive communities of practice to enable more robust, accurate and rigorous research.

While the focus of the Faculty Decolonising Academic Leads has been to provide support within subject areas for the priorities outlined in the decolonising principles for student education, the holders of these roles are also well placed to support and motivate colleagues to embed the principles in research.  They should act as Faculty level points of contact for staff and students, highlighting the Decolonising Research Framework, encouraging the sharing of examples of decolonising research and sign posting to support offered by expert colleagues.  Where possible, Faculty Decolonising Academic Leads should work together with key role holders in Faculty and School leadership to implement change. 

Faculty/School EDI Leaders should actively promote the Decolonising Research Framework.  They should be aware of how the decolonising effort intersects with other programmes of activity related to Athena Swan, the Race Equality Charter and local EDI strategy implementation plans.  Where necessary, Faculty EDI Leaders should identify Faculty-based policies that may reproduce the coloniality of knowledge production and seek to review these through the appropriate channels. 

School leaders should actively celebrate activities that work towards decolonising research, demonstrating the advantages of applying decolonial methods, approaches and perspectives.  They should also encourage staff to reflect on their research practices and foster an environment where research is decolonial, racially-literate and accepts all forms of knowledge production. Where necessary, School Leaders should identify school-based policies or processes, which could hinder decolonisation efforts, and seek to review these.  

Pro-Deans for R&I should not only actively promote and share the Decolonising Research Framework within their Faculties, but they should help ensure that institution level decisions are aligned with the broader decolonising principles.  Where necessary, they should review any existing policies or procedures that are not aligned with the decolonising agenda. 

University level management should ensure that at Leeds we lead by example and that all institutional level decisions firmly align with the decolonising principles of both student education and research.  Senior management should be open to requests for resources for those in Faculty and School Leadership positions to implement any required changes to align with the decolonising agenda.