The topic of decolonization is a concept that has seen a rise in popularity in recent years. Classes such as history have a reputation of being whitewashed, and one of the subjects that comes to mind when discussing decolonization in the curriculum is history.
A quote in the article by Sophia Hayat Taha, Ade Bakare and Fides Dagongdong discussing a panel on decolonization wrote that “whilst it can seem easier for some subjects to decolonize their curriculum than other subjects, there is a need for every program, department, school, and module to think critically about whose voices are being silenced.” This quote stuck out to me because when trying to achieve decolonization, it is important to take the whole system into consideration. It can be argued that despite the progress that has been made, the school system still has a hand in colonization today, therefore it is important to dismantle the system as a whole in order to move forward.
Moving forward with my paper, I would like to discuss the previously mentioned article, as well as others that address ways of moving forward through decolonization. In my school experience, classes such as history were told from one perspective, the European one. There was little to no balance between perspectives. Through these methods of teaching, generations of students have not had access to the proper information and have been taught a skewed narrative of our collective history. It is important to change the system as a whole and to incorporate multiple knowledge systems as opposed to the traditional and often oppressive point of view.
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