Decolonising Academia: Realisation and Beyond

In this seminar series ‘Decolonising Academia: Realisation and Beyond’, we focus on what ‘decolonisation’—a term that has gained much traction in recent times and has generated various critiques—entails in academia, and the role of academics in challenging colonial structures that form the foundations of the modern world. Our hope as organisers is that this will be one of many discussions that take place at UEA which will inform our everyday and academic practices. This seminar series is organised by PhD researchers in International Development and Politics: Francesca Chiu, Touseef Mir, and Moé Suzuki, supported by the School of International Development and the University of Sanctuary.

In this first seminar, we focus on the politics of being apolitical. What does it mean to engage in politics as academics, and in academia? How might ‘non-engagement’ or claims about being ‘neutral’ serve as a form of politics in itself? We invite Ms. Yuen Chan from City, University of London and our very own Prof. Anshuman Mondal from UEA to discuss this theme, in conversation with Francesca Chiu, PhD researcher in International Development at UEA. This seminar will take the form of a more informal, conversational style rather than a lecture format.