Thursday 06-05-2021 - 16:35

Hey all, as you may know, many students and academic staff have invested their time and copious amounts of energy into the Decolonise Durham campaign. Whilst the University has acknowledged the importance of this work and the personal investment many of us have in the project, the delays due to internal bureaucracy has been increasingly frustrating. 

Widespread curriculum reform is urgent and necessary, and so it has been disappointing to see the project sidelined, whilst Durham People of Colour Association (DPOCA), many other students, and academic staff remain heavily invested in this work. In December 2020, it was agreed at University Executive Committee that the University would hire interns within both faculties and departments to embed decolonial thinking into our curriculum. Since then, however, progress has been incredibly slow. Vital time has been spent seeking out information on Durham’s hiring process, finding who in each department to contact and waiting for responses, which has meant crucial timescales have been pushed back repeatedly.  

It is undeniable that Covid has slowed down the pace and progress of the project, but the anticipation and excitement of embedding Decoloniality into Durham’s curriculum continues throughout the institution. Collective interests and appetite for this work continues to grow and the intrinsic value, both pedagogically and for wider cultural change, becomes clearer and clearer. Not only is decolonisation important in Durham but across higher education. 

It is discouraging, then, that there seems to be a lack of concern for the progress of the campaign, which has meant its development has been inhibited – whether that be conscious or not. Although the initial commitment shown by the University had been refreshing, once again the labour invested into this work has been somewhat undermined by the University’s failure to prioritise this campaign. This work is central to the task of rectifying Durham’s culture and making the institution, as a whole, culturally competent and reflective of the diverse cohort Durham attracts. It cannot be pushed aside. 

It is critical that the time and effort spent on getting to this point is properly reflected and met with the same energy from within the University. Such reform must be embedded within the entire institution, not only faculties and departments.  

Moving forward it is critical that departments and faculties have tangible and direct lines of support within the University, and that there is a clearer and more consistent connection between students and the SU. Working towards a decolonial curriculum takes collaboration, consistent energy and critical reflection from all members of Durham – staff and students alike.