Recognising and enriching curricula with a global perspective: Decolonising the curriculum in a business school

In this blog, colleagues from the Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow share how they approached the idea of decolonising the curriculum.

At the University of Glasgow, decolonising the curriculum is a key priority, as reflected in the current Learning and Teaching (L&T) strategy for 2021-2025.

“Reflect our values of inclusivity, wellbeing, integrity and respect in our learning and curriculum design through decolonising the curriculum... (and) embedding our Accessible and Inclusive Learning Policy” - Learning and Teaching Strategy 2021-2025 (gla.ac.uk)

The Adam Smith Business School (ASBS) at the University of Glasgow recognises the importance of broadening the curriculum beyond a western-centric ideology. With over 5,000 students from around 90 countries, the diversity of backgrounds and global ambitions highlights the need for a curriculum that prepares students to work and interact effectively across different cultures.

To support our colleagues in decolonising the curriculum, we adopted a two-pronged approach. First, bespoke workshops were designed to clarify, inspire, and guide business school staff in this important work. Second, sharing of good practices was facilitated to create a ripple effect across the school. Our aim was to diffuse overconfidence with the recognition that more can be done, as well as mitigate under confidence by demonstrating that all efforts are valuable.

Workshops

We organised two half-day workshops to foster reflection, learning, and practical discussion among staff members. These were led by two experts in this area and from Business Schools, Dr Kendi Guantai, Associate Professor and Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Leeds University Business School and Dr Iwi Ugiagbe-Green, Reader, Manchester Metropolitan University

Workshop 1

The first workshop laid the foundation for understanding and engaging with the concept of decolonising the curriculum. Attendance was open to all, with a reminder sent to programme leaders regarding the invitation, which attracted 19 people.

A quirky but powerful game was played at the beginning, where one person would say something about themselves and others who belonged to that category had to stand up. Examples of statements included: ‘I play a musical instrument’, ‘I like dancing’, ‘I knit’, ‘I love football’. It was interesting how people we might perceive as ‘different’ stood up together. An important message which ran through the day was an African philosophy, 'Ubuntu': ‘I am what I am because of what we all are’. We reflected on the commonality of humanity.

The experts who led the session shared how decolonising the curriculum is a broad and evolving concept, with its scope and relevance often debated. There are several academic articles which put forward robust and critical discussion on the topic (e.g., Bhambra et al., 2018; Banerjee, 2021; Shain et al., 2021). We were aware of the usual challenges: confusion about the meaning of decolonisation, concerns that it might dilute the curriculum, overconfidence in the existing inclusivity of our courses, and the perception that the task is too complex. Among the various explanations of decolonising the curriculum, the one which resonated with us was:

“Decolonising the curriculum refers to the process of addressing the colonial legacies that persist within Western forms of knowledge. It asks students and staff to critically reflect on the formation of knowledge, the views of the ‘fathers’ of modern knowledge, how this knowledge is taught and who it is taught by.” -  Keele University’s Decolonising the Curriculum Manifesto, (2021). 

We were then given the opportunity to discuss and reflect on questions in small groups:

• What is your understanding of decolonisation?

• What does it mean to you?

As expected, the responses varied. Some colleagues felt that the curriculum they were involved in was inclusive enough while others were more critical. A clear takeaway was the need to be mindful of ensuring that our curriculum, examples, academic literature, and assessment topics are not disconnected from the broader global context. It is essential to include and acknowledge valuable knowledge, regardless of its origin, and to design authentic assessments that address issues from different parts of the world.

Another objective of this workshop was to gain a better understanding of colonialism and its impact on socio-economic systems and higher education in Britain, specifically in business schools. (Bannerjee et al., 2020; Everett, 2021, 2023; Everett et al., 2023). A reasonable critique is that the existing literature and discussions focus on the past 400 years of Western colonisation, potentially overlooking the broader historical context and complexities of colonialism across different cultures and periods.

We came away with the understanding that decolonising the curriculum is an evolving process, not a fixed destination. It's about making incremental changes, appreciating that some progress may already be happening within our courses, and recognising that the journey is ongoing. We not only want to look back but also forward, so that our learning and teaching practice is truly relevant to our current students.

Workshop 2

The second workshop was organised several months later, allowing time for staff to reflect and plan practical ways to enhance the global perspective of the curriculum under their purview and control. As an icebreaker, participants were asked to bring an item from their cultural background, which were displayed to provoke discussion during break times.

We started the day with activities which encouraged self-reflection, helping us recognise whether we unconsciously exclude valuable material in our teaching plans or do not give due credit to diverse sources. Felix and Friedberg (2019) emphasise the importance of self-reflection in this process, which was a key component of the workshop. How can we decolonise ourselves? The speakers shared their knowledge and understanding of this complex issue, along with thought-provoking examples. Some ideas which emerged were to interrogate your thoughts periodically, read broadly, listen to different views and alternative ways of knowing, appreciate other ways of being, travel, and develop intercultural competence.

Participants then broke into small groups to discuss the following questions to reflect on their teaching practices:

• What does decolonising the curriculum mean to you?

• What steps have you taken?

• What steps would you like to take?

• What are the challenges?

The discussions highlighted that a colonial curriculum often results in education with gaps, misinformation, and insufficient recognition of contributions. The ideas generated were shared on flip charts. Participants could walk around looking at the other groups’ output, be inspired and make suggestions. Programme leaders were able to get a sense of what colleagues would like to do and how to facilitate these by simplifying perceived barriers.

Sharing good practice

Following the workshops, we realised that there were several good examples in our teaching practice, and more to come. We designed a simple mechanism for colleagues to share what they were doing. This would not only encourage them to realise their valuable contribution to an inclusive and broad curriculum practice, but also inspire others.

A template shown in Figure 1 was circulated for colleagues to complete, which simply asks for information about efforts to decolonise the curriculum or any inclusive practice. When inviting colleagues, we emphasized that even small efforts to incorporate global perspectives into their teaching were valuable and there was no compulsion to answer all questions. Additionally, we made ourselves available to assist colleagues in completing the necessary templates if they needed support.

These examples are hosted on our staff SharePoint site, making them easily accessible to all staff members. We used Canva to design them in a presentable format. On the SharePoint homepage, staff can simply click and choose an example, like the one shown below (Figure 2), to learn more about it.

Please click on the images to view them in greater detail.

We have gathered a broad range of examples from various courses across the business school. So far, we have collected 24 case studies that cover teaching content, reading materials, assessments, teaching methods, and activities. These practices contribute to decolonising the curriculum in different ways.

Teaching methods (include relevant examples from different parts of the word, case studies challenging stereo typing in Disney characters)

• Teaching content (units on the effects of colonisation, slavery, management techniques in other countries, different accounting needs)

• Reading content (publicise the authors of the reading material, books and articles that includes discussion from various parts of the world and different points of view.)

• Assessments (anti-racism campaign design, poverty alleviation proposals in a country of choice, working in diverse groups)

• Exposure to experts from outside (invite guest speakers from different parts of the world who are experts in their own field)

• Activities (Museum visits and reflection)

We are committed to publicizing and appreciating the good work being done, and the project is ongoing, allowing us to continue adding new examples.

Concluding thoughts

There are many initiatives to decolonise the curriculum across the higher education sector, for example, Guide to Embedding Decolonising and Inclusive Approaches (dmu.ac.uk). Reflecting on our approach, as discussed in this blog, here are some recommendations.

First, we must make it clear to staff that decolonising the curriculum is not about diluting or diminishing the curriculum; rather, it is about enriching the learning experience and fostering an honest and comprehensive reflection on global knowledge. The central question to ask ourselves is whether our curricula and teaching practices are overly Western-centric. It is important that colleagues do not feel compelled to make changes but rather see them as opportunities to enhance their teaching practice. Second, show appreciation for all efforts and make it easy for colleagues to share good practices. Finally, provide resources such as dedicated time for reflection and IT assistance to gather examples and publicise them.

It has been exciting to be part of this initiative and witness the enthusiasm of staff, including honest and robust discussions. A truly decolonised curriculum will be beneficial overall, providing students with the best knowledge and developing their skills to be global citizens.

References

Banerjee, S. B. (2021). Decolonizing Management Theory: A Critical Perspective. Journal of Management Studies. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12756

Banerjee, B., Rodriguez, J. K., and Dar, S. (2020). Beyond name changes and pulling down statues – how to decolonise business schools. The Conversation https://theconversation.com/beyond-name-changes-and-pulling-down-statues-how-to-decolonise-business-schools-142394

Bhambra, G.K., D. Gebrial and K. Nişancıoğlu (eds.) (2018). Decolonizing the University. London: Pluto Press. https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/25936

Everett, S. (2021). Decolonising the curriculum: addressing the miseducation of business and management. Chartered ABS Blog. Decolonising the curriculum: addressing the miseducation of business and management | Chartered Association of Business Schools (charteredabs.org)

Everette, S, (2023). Decolonizing the Business School Curriculum. AACSB Insights. https://www.aacsb.edu/insights/articles/2023/02/decolonizing-the-business-school-curriculum

Everette, S., Carden, R., Linton-Williams, K. (2023). Decolonising and diversification of the curriculum in UK Business Schools. Chartered ABS Opinion. Decolonisation and diversification of the curriculum in UK business schools | Chartered Association of Business Schools (charteredabs.org)

Felix, M. and Friedberg, J. (2019). To decolonise the curriculum, we have to decolonise ourselves. WONKHE 9/4/19 To decolonise the curriculum, we have to decolonise ourselves | Wonkhe

Shain, F., Yıldız, Ü. K., Poku, V., & Gokay, B. (2021). From silence to ‘strategic advancement’: institutional responses to ‘decolonising’ in higher education in England. Teaching in Higher Education, 26(7–8), 920–936. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2021.1976749

Decolonising the Curriculum Staff Guide Keele University (2021).

Guide to Embedding Decolonising and Inclusive Approaches (dmu.ac.uk)