Turning the Decolonial Gaze towards Ourselves: Decolonising the Curriculum and ‘Decolonial Reflexivity’ in Sociology and Social Theory

Abstract

This article provides a theoretical evaluation of the author’s attempts at decolonising a sociology and social theory course in Singapore. It also introduces the notion of ‘decolonial reflexivity’ as a strategy for refining academic decolonisation. In doing so, this article seeks to overcome both the insufficient introspection about the potential for coloniality to reside within efforts at academic decolonisation, and the tendency to separate theoretical and applied discussions about academic decolonisation. It is argued that the author’s attempts to decolonise the curriculum were limited because the course may have inadvertently: (a) sustained exclusion while claiming to be inclusive; (b) maintained the status quo while claiming to be radical; and (c) reinscribed Westerncentrism while claiming to decolonise. This article suggests that although academic decolonisation is a commendable aspiration, academics who wish to decolonise must continually consider the theoretical complexities that are generated by our attempts at academic decolonisation.