Guidelines

Undertaking Decolonial Research 

Undertaking decolonial research is not easy. It requires a lot of thought, discussions and willingness to give up power. In our 5-year project we spent a lot of time thinking about how to do decolonial research carefully. We pondered on several aspects of the process – how to ensure that decolonisation was embedded throughout the research process, how to encourage your partners and people you may subcontract to do decolonial work, how to engage with artists in decolonial ways, and how to publish equitably.  

Here are a few documents that we prepared. We offer these for others to make use and improve. Do get back to us with thoughts about whether you find them useful, how you used them and how we can improve our practise. Take these documents as starting points, not finishing ones and tell us what you think by emailing me Parvati.Raghuram@open.ac.uk 

Introduction 

Undertaking decolonial research is challenging. It requires careful thought, open discussions, and a willingness to share or relinquish power. 

Over the course of our five-year project, we dedicated significant time to exploring how to approach decolonial research responsibly and inclusively. 

Key Considerations 

We reflected on several aspects of the research process, including: 

Resources 

We have prepared a set of documents to support others who are undertaking similar work. These documents are intended as starting points, not final answers. 

You are welcome to: 

Below are some of the Guidelines that have resulted from this body of work.