Discussing Decolonisation Reading Group 2024/25

This reading group series has now passed, but you can find details for the 2025/26 Discussing Decolonisation Reading Group (DDRG) here.

About:

The Discussing Decolonisation Reading Group (DDRG) is a new cross-disciplinary reading and discussion group for YSJ staff and students that will run alongside our Discussing Decolonisation event series for 2024/25.

The task of decolonising higher education requires us to engage in sustained thinking, reading and discussion about the history, theory and politics of colonialism and anti-colonial resistance, as well as with ongoing decolonisation efforts in and across the sector. With this reading group we will therefore return to some of the key anti-colonial texts and thinkers of the twentieth century in addition to considering more recent interventions from scholars asking what it means ‘to decolonise’ the contemporary metropolitan university.

The sessions will generally take place online, over lunchtime, but the day of the week will vary to hopefully enable more colleagues to participate. Although it would be beneficial to attend all sessions, colleagues are more than welcome to join the reading group at any time and/or to dip in and out over the course of the year.

Please note that the texts listed below are offered as prompts for thinking and discussion, and there is no requirement to finish all the reading suggested. Wherever possible, we will point to key extracts around which we can base our conversations, and/or suggest podcasts or other media sources that can be accessed in lieu of the written materials.

Please click here to sign up for the reading group, and/or email Lucy Potter or Laura Key if you would like any more information.

Reading Group Schedule:

Session 1: Monday 21st October, 12-1pm 

On decolonising the university:

• Priyamvada Gopal (2021) ‘Decolonisation and the University’, Textual Practice 35(6), 873-899 (accessible here)
• Gurminder Bhambra, Dalia Gebrial and Kerem Nişancıoğlu (2018) Decolonising the University, ‘Introduction’, pp.1-16 (Ebook here) – and/or, listen to this ‘Radicals in Conversation’ podcast (45 mins)

Session 2: Tuesday 12th November, 12-1pm 

On decolonising the mind and the role of culture:

• Amilcar Cabral (1972) ‘The Role of Culture in the Struggle for Independence’, pp.1-7 (PDF here)
• Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (1986) Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature, ‘Introduction’, pp. 1-3, and chapter 4, pp. 106-108 (Ebook here) – and/or listen to Ngũgĩ discuss his work on this podcast (51 mins) 
• Additional reading: Edward Said (1993) Culture and Imperialism, chapter 1, part I, pp.1-16 (Ebook here)

Session 3, Monday 9th December, 12-1pm

On (anti-)colonial violence and national liberation movements:

• Frantz Fanon (1961) The Wretched of the Earth, chapter 1 ‘On Violence’ and ‘Conclusion’ (available online, or in print from the YSJ Library) – and/or listen to this Left of Philosophy podcast (1 hour)
• Aimé Césaire (1955) ‘Discourse on Colonialism’ (Ebook here) – and/or this LRB podcast with Brent Hayes Edwards and Adam Shatz (13 mins, free extract)
• Additional reading: Simin Fadaee (2024) Global Marxism: Decolonisation and Revolutionary Politics, ‘Introduction’ and/or chapters 5 and 6  (Ebook here)

Session 4, Tuesday 21st January, 12-1pm (rescheduled from 14th)

On decolonisation as a material demand: 

• Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang (2012) ‘Decolonisation is not a metaphor’, Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education and Society 1(1), 1-40 (accessible here) – and/or listen to this JDPOD (48 mins) or Red Menace podcast (1hr 29 mins) discussing Tuck & Yang’s essay
• Additional reading: Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò (2022) Against Decolonisation: Taking African Agency Seriously, chapter 1 ‘What, after all, is decolonisation’ (Ebook here) – and/or watch Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò in conversation with Alexandra Reza (51 mins)

Session 5, Wednesday 26th February, 12-1pm 

On (neo-)colonial extractivism and the logic of underdevelopment:

• Eduardo Galeano (1971) Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent, ‘Introduction’, pp.1-8 and, if time, ‘Seven years after’, pp.265-285 (Ebook here)
• Walter Rodney (1972) ‘Colonialism as a system for underdeveloping Africa’, in How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (excerpt available here) – and/or, listen to this Verso podcast with Robin D.G. Kelley and Kevin Ochieng Okoth (1 hr 10 mins)

Session 6, Wednesday 30th April, 12-1pm (rescheduled from 28th March)

On the concept of ‘decoloniality’:

• Walter Mignolo (2021)The Politics of Decolonial Investigations, ‘Introduction’, pp 3-43 (Ebook here) – or listen to an interview with Mignolo on A Correction podcast (25 mins)
• David Myer Temin (2024) ‘A decolonial wrong turn: Walter Mignolo’s epistemic politics’ (accessible here) – and/or read Kavish Chetty’s book review or listen to him discuss the ‘cult of idolatry’ around Mignolo (12 mins)

Session 7, Friday 6th June, 12-1pm (rescheduled)

On racial capitalism and (anti-)imperialism:

• Cedric Robinson (1983) Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition, Part 1.1, pp. 9-13 (Ebook here) and/or ‘Foreword’ by Robin D.G. Kelley – or, watch this lecture by Prof. Robin D.G. Kelley (1 hr 26 mins)
• Gargi Bhattacharya (2018) Rethinking Racial Capitalism: Questions of Reproduction and Survival, Chapter 1 ‘Beginnings’ (Ebook here) – and/or, listen to Gargi Bhattacharya & Nancy Fraser in conversation on this Verso podcast (1 hr 11 mins)

Session 8, Friday 5th September, 12-1pm (rescheduled from July)

Decolonising anti-racism?

• Arun Kundnani (2023) What is Anti-Racism and Why It Means Anti-Capitalism, ideally ‘Introduction’, pp. 1-7, Chapter 5, ‘Racism is a Structure’, pp.74-91, and Chapter 13, ‘A Darker Red’, pp.241-251 (Ebook here) – or listen to Kundnani on this New Economics podcast (39 mins), or watch this Verso vlog (30 mins)
• Additional recommended reading: Azfar Shafi and Ilyas Nagdee (2022) Race to the Bottom: Reclaiming Antiracism (Ebook here), especially ‘Introduction’ (5 pages), Chapter 1, Chapter 4, and/or ‘Conclusion: Recovering antiracism’ (9 pages)

You can find more recommended reading and resources on a range of topics from our Decolonisation at YSJ webpages.