Conferences and events
Curriculum Imagination
"Curriculum Imagination": Decolonising Knowledge in Academic Practice Lecture Series - June 2024
In June 2024, Birmingham City University and De Montfort University welcomed guests across 2 days of lectures, workshops and talks to discuss, understand and focus on how decolonising knowledge provides challenges but also opportunities in Higher Education pedagogy and research.
Director of Education Development Service (EDS) Dr Melanie-Marie Haywood stated in advance of the third annual instance of the event: “This year’s decolonising lecture series promises to be an exciting opportunity for collaboration, co-learning, and innovation as we reimagine how our higher education sector could look when we work toward decolonising”. Without any doubt, we achieved this aim, with record attendance and consistent thoughtful and insightful discourse.
On 19 June 2024, a keynote speech by Dr Leon Moosavi preceded eight fascinating and thought-provoking workshops, attended in-person by academics across the university spectrum. On 20 June 2024, this was followed by a further seven workshops held digitally on Microsoft Teams, each themselves seeing an impressive level of engagement and challenging discussion.
BCU and DMU are proud to offer the seven digital workshops and the keynote speech in their entirety through YouTube. Browse through our YouTube playlist to view the recorded workshops.
Dr Leon Moosavi
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About the speaker from the University of Liverpool:Dr Leon Moosavi is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology at the University of Liverpool. Leon's research interests fall within three interrelated areas. Firstly, he specialises in racism, Orientalism, whiteness, and white privilege. Secondly, he researches British Muslim converts and Islamophobia. Thirdly, he writes about epistemic decolonisation and the limitations of decolonial projects. In 2021, Leon founded The Decolonial Critique, a global network of more than 2,000 scholars and activists who have an interest in theoretical and applied approaches to coloniality/decoloniality within and beyond the university. In 2023, Leon was shortlisted for the National Centre for Research Methods Impact Prize in relation to this initiative. Leon is also a member of the advisory boards of the Liverpool City Region's Race Equality Hub, the Decolonising Education for Peace in Africa project, and the University of Liverpool’s review of its historic links to slavery. |
About the Keynote:The recent surge of interest in decolonising universities has now been present for long enough for us to review where it originated, where it is at, and where it may go. In this discussion, we will take a step back and examine the decolonial trajectory to assess what has been going on and what impact it may be having. We will explore the tensions which exist between those who are already ready to abandon decolonial discourse and those who believe it still holds promise for transforming Higher Education into something more promising. |
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Dr Tippu Sheriff
Dr Atm Alam
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About the speakers from Queen Mary University of London:Dr Tippu S Sheriff is a Senior Lecturer and the Director of Teaching and Learning in the Department of Chemistry, School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), having previously completed a BSc (Chemistry), PhD and post-doctoral studies at Imperial College London. His research interests are in the areas of dioxygen activation and the catalytic in situ generation of hydrogen peroxide and applications in wastewater treatment, bleaching, disinfection and selective oxidation. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), a chartered chemist (CChem) and a Senior Fellow of the HEA (SFHEA). Dr Atm Shafiul Alam serves as a Joint Programme/Joint Education Institute (JP/JEI) Lecturer and the Programme Director of Electronic Information Engineering at the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), UK. Prior to this, he was a Research Fellow at the 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC) at the University of Surrey and participated in several Horizon 2020 and Innovate UK projects. |
About the session:The workshop presents a collaborative approach with an aim to decolonize the STEM curriculum, moving beyond Eurocentric frameworks by highlighting a diverse range of global contributions to address historical representational imbalances. It will share actionable insights from Queen Mary University of London's STEM faculty on curricular diversification, including a transnational education case study, to empower educators in creating a more inclusive and equitable STEM education environment. This initiative also aims to inspire a new generation of diverse thinkers and innovators, ready to see themselves as the pioneers, scientists, and engineers of the future. |
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Dr Hardeep Basra
Dr Blessing Marandure
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About the speakers from De Montfort University:Dr Hardeep Basra is an Associate Professor in Teaching and Learning and Co-Chair of the staff Race Equality Network at De Montfort University. Hardeep has a long commitment to the EDI agenda and has championed this area of work both in her substantive role as well as her Co-Chair role. She currently leads the Postgraduate Certificate in Empowering Education. Hardeep is also part of the Advance HE CATE award winning team- Decolonising DMU and plays a critical role in supporting staff to develop inclusive practice. Dr Marandure is a scholar activist passionate about advancing racial equity in Higher Education. She is a Fair Outcomes Champion for Decolonising DMU, and a senior lecturer in Psychology at De Montfort University. Her research and scholarship on racial equity mainly involve centring the experiences of racialised minority students and staff in Higher Education. Dr Marandure contributes to staff development on decolonising practice through her role on Decolonising DMU and consultancy, more recently for the British Council’s decolonising research series. Dr Marandure serves on the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network Governance Board, together with the EDI Group.
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About the session:This workshop invites participants to consider their own positionality as a foundation to engaging in the effective decolonisation of teaching practice. It will then draw upon some tangible and practical tips and tricks which can be utilised to make enhancements informed by an inclusive and decolonised lens. |
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Dr Manu Lekunze
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About the speaker from the University of Aberdeen:Dr Manu Lekunze is a lecturer in international relations at the University of Aberdeen. Manu studies the security of states. He has published peer-reviewed books and journal articles on several aspects of national and international security. Dr Lekunze is increasingly interested in how individuals validate useful/dangerous information because of the increasing number of actors using information campaigns in foreign policy in a complex international environment. |
About the session:What is a way of knowing? Can a way of knowing have an identity? For example, is science a way of knowing? If yes, how credible is it to say that ‘science is unabashedly Western’? This workshop is a brainstorming exercise to critically examine the literature on ‘ways of knowledge’ in the decolonising discourse. It examines what scholars silently assume in the arguments about ‘indigenous ways of knowing as opposed to Western ways. |
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Dr Dionne Taylor
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About the speaker from Birmingham City University:Dr Dionne Taylor is an Associate Professor at Birmingham City University. Dionne teaches across Sociology and Black studies and is the MA Black Studies Course leader. Dionne’s PhD was entitled-‘I Wanna Love You’: An exploration into the lived experiences of young Black British women’s interpretation and engagement with representations of Black womanhood. Dionne is REC SAT Member and co-chair of the Student Lived Experience Working group, using expertise to facilitate actions to reduce disparities and inequalities in HE. She recently, co-Convened-a conference in Nov 2023 Black Women 'Undoing Sexual Shame' in conjunction with Black Ballad and Birmingham City University. |
About the session:Community-Centered Approaches: Black Studies Short Courses for Decolonial Education and Social Equity: a Post 1992 British University Case Study. Black Studies Short Courses for Decolonial Education and Social Equity presents an innovative approach to education, rooted in the principles of decolonisation, centring community, mobilisation, and applying an intersectional lens to addressing issues of systemic inequity in British universities. |
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Jill Childs
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About the speaker from Oxford Brookes University:Jill Childs Principal Lecturer Oxford Brookes University - SFHEA is the Principal Investigator for the Ubuntu partnership, a partnership of academics and practitioners that aims to create meaningful collaborations to decolonise social work by documenting indigenous social work and supporting evidence informed approaches between Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and the United Kingdom. Jill's work on anti racism has won a number of national awards including, the silver Social Worker of the Year Award for University of the year, the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence by Advance HE and the University Alliance Innovation Award, an HE Innovate award and the Oxford Brookes award for inclusivity.
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About the session:This workshop will begin to address the relationship between decolonisation, indigenisation and sustainability. It will explore the potential to implement locally based solutions, and community focussed approaches to further develop anti racist practice in Higher Education. |
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Amaninder Singh
Zoe Tompkins
Kate Feliciello
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About the speakers from The Open University:Amaninder Singh, SFHEA, is a Staff Tutor and Lecturer within the School of Computing and Communications at the Open University. He has been an academic for more than 25 years, developed various Computing courses and taught at different levels, presently teaching in Networking and Cybersecurity domains. He is interested in researching the effects of past biases on new technology and how education could be transformed for learner inclusiveness and equity. Zoe Tompkins BA(Hons), MSc, PGCE (FE), MA, is a lecturer within the School of Computing and Communications at the Open University. She has worked for the Open University for over two decades and has front line experience within both FE, Russell Group Universities and currently co leads on a Department for Education HE into FE initiative within the sector. She is lead for the OU’s decolonising computing project and has a diverse portfolio of roles including Module Chair, Academic Reviewer for OU validated partners, and is currently authoring new systems thinking VLE content. Zoe is passionate about using her position of privilege and power to transform education and is an EDI Champion writing and delivering bespoke peer professional development in order to address the OU’s Awarding Gap.
Kate Feliciello, BSc(Hons), is a staff tutor at The Open University. She has worked for the Open University for 5 years teaching on a range of modules in the IT sector with a particular focus on developing programming skills. After graduating at the University of Salford, she held a number of roles developing her programming skills. She eventually worked as an IT consultant with one of Europe’s largest consultancy firms, assisting medium to large companies in the development of their IT systems. After a career change, Kate has moved into the education sector and prior to joining The Open University, had a successful career as a senior lecturer within the Further Education sector teaching a range of IT programmes from BTEC to degree level.
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About the session:This workshop will provide a brief overview on current STEM decolonising activity within UK Higher Educational Institutes. We will invite participants to critically review those activities in context of their role as they begin to develop their own curriculum liberation in the short, medium, and longer term. |
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Dr Leon Moosavi
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About the speaker from the University of Liverpool:Dr Leon Moosavi is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology at the University of Liverpool. Leon's research interests fall within three interrelated areas. Firstly, he specialises in racism, Orientalism, whiteness, and white privilege. Secondly, he researches British Muslim converts and Islamophobia. Thirdly, he writes about epistemic decolonisation and the limitations of decolonial projects. In 2021, Leon founded The Decolonial Critique, a global network of more than 2,000 scholars and activists who have an interest in theoretical and applied approaches to coloniality/decoloniality within and beyond the university. In 2023, Leon was shortlisted for the National Centre for Research Methods Impact Prize in relation to this initiative. Leon is also a member of the advisory boards of the Liverpool City Region's Race Equality Hub, the Decolonising Education for Peace in Africa project, and the University of Liverpool’s review of its historic links to slavery. |
About the session:This workshop focuses on decolonising the curriculum in a manner which goes beyond crude diversification and tick-box approaches. This will be related to my attempt to decolonise my curriculum in Singapore and the UK - and will involve highlighting the attainment and resistance that this generated. We will also explore the notion of 'decolonial reflexivity' in order to emphasise the importance of introspectively examining our efforts to decolonise our curricula in order to ensure that we are not unintentionally reinforcing coloniality. This workshop is partly based on an article which I have published which can be found here. |
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Sumeya Loonat
Prof Richard Hall
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About the speakers from De Montfort University:Sumeya Loonat is Senior International Student Lecturer at De Montfort University, and has also held the position of Fair Outcomes Champion for the Decolonising DMU Project. Sumeya is a DMU Teacher Fellow and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She is a doctoral researcher, exploring critical perspectives within the context and construction of minoritised students in UK higher education.
Richard Hall is Professor of Education and Technology at De Montfort University, and the research and evaluation lead for Decolonising DMU. A UK National Teaching Fellow, Richard writes about the political economy of higher education. He is the author of The Hopeless University: Intellectual Work at The End of The End of History (Mayfly Books, 2021), and The Alienated Academic: The Struggle for Autonomy Inside the University (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). Richard is an independent visitor for a looked-after child, and a governor of the Leicester Primary Pupil Referral Unit and Leicester Partnership School. He writes about life in higher education at richard-hall.org
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About the session:This workshop provides an underpinning of Critical Race Theory and Post/Decolonial Theory as tools to highlight the intersectional experiences of international students. We will enable participants to discuss the influence of core concepts on the minoritised student experience. In particular, we will encourage participants to discuss: issues of positionality; the coloniality of power and epistemology; whiteness and the international experience; and, the idea of the subaltern. |
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Dr Musharrat J Ahmed-Landeryou
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About the speaker from London South Bank University:Dr Musharrat J. Ahmed-Landeryou is Associate Professor at London South Bank University (LSBU) and leads the decolonising Allied Health Professions (AHPs) curricula strategy at LSBU. Her ‘Decolonising Curriculum Wheel: A Reflection Framework’ has become part of the LSBU academic curriculum framework and has had international reach. She has a recently released edited book, ‘Antiracist occupational Therapy: Unsettling the status quo’ and has written 2 chapters, one with co-authors, in another popular book with global reach, ‘Antiracism in Higher Education: An action guide for change’. Musharrat is an origin co-founder of BAMEOTUK, a network of Black and minoritised heritages occupational therapy students, staff and educators, a pressure group to disrupt recycling of institutional racism/discrimination in the profession and professional body, nationally and internationally. She recently won a national award from the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, RCOT Merit Award 2023, in recognition by peers for her antiracism work in occupational therapy. |
About the session:The 90 mins workshop will facilitate understanding of the terms in decolonising education and improve the attendees’ clarity as to why the approach is taken for curriculum design and delivery. Then using the wheel framework and taking a stepped approach, the knowledge and understanding of the attendees will be explored, challenged, critiqued, improved and developed to enable them to move forward with applying the approach. Poems, songs and videos will be integrated for furthering understanding and bringing forward the reality and rationale for taking the decolonising approach for curriculum delivery and design within an institution. |
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Dustin Hosseini
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About the speaker from the University of Strathclyde:I’m a neurodiverse dual-national migrant originally from Dallas, Texas, USA, the ancestral home of many dispossessed Indigenous Peoples including the Jumanos, Wichita, Kiikappoi (Kickapoo) and Takakoni among others. I am an educator with expertise in digital pedagogy, academic, digital and AI literacies and a developing understanding of decolonizing education/curricula. My work sits at the intersections of academic, critical and digital literacies, learning design and digital education. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and I am undertaking a part-time Doctorate in Education at the University of Strathclyde. I have worked in education since 2005 and higher education since 2010. My experience has included: teaching English as a foreign language (EFL); teaching academic writing to international students (EAP); developing the academic, research and writing literacies of students of the hard and social sciences; and developing staffs' pedagogic knowledge, information and digital literacies of digital education and learning technologies through coaching and mentoring.
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About the session:In this talk, I provide an overview of the results of a systematic narrative review that addresses the question, "What does research in the UK reveal about practical actions/interventions for undertaking decolonizing higher education?". I outline themes arising from the research, which relate to researchers' understandings of decolonization, current actions/interventions revealed within the systematic narrative review, barriers and challenges faced by those undertaking or advocating for decolonization within UK higher education contexts. |
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Dr Jan Etienne
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About the speaker from Birbeck, University of London:Dr Jan Etienne is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Birkbeck, University of London, where she earned her PhD. She is a graduate of the School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, and author of: Learning in Womanist Ways: Narratives of First-Generation African Caribbean Women (2016) (IOE Press); Communities of Activism: Black Women, Higher Education, and the Politics of Representation (2020) (UCL Press) and Feminist Scholar’s Approaches to Decolonising the Academy (2024 forthcoming, LPP). She is Chair of the Womanism, Activism, Higher Education Research Network, and a founding member of the Decolonizing the Academy Collective at Birkbeck. |
About the session:This workshop will demonstrate the ways in which Black feminist theory is used to decolonise higher education practice. It seeks to demonstrate how Black feminist theory acts as a useful tool in delivering decolonising agendas in higher education. Presenting inter-active Black feminist intersectionality narratives, it aims to share good practice, showcase practical initiatives, and encourage leadership in the delivery of Black feminist approaches, helping to shape decolonising programmes in higher education. |
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Dr Chris Lloyd
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About the speaker from the University of Hertfordshire:Dr Christopher Lloyd (he/him) is an Associate Professor of Learning and Teaching at the University of Hertfordshire. He edits and produces the Diversifying and Decolonising the University podcast from Herts; is the Vice Chair of the British Association of American Studies; and the Co-Editor of the European Journal of American Culture. Socials: @clloyd9 (twitter); @chrisllloyd9 (insta). |
About the session:In this interactive workshop, we’ll (re)turn to two texts from decolonial and Black feminist scholarship to debate the possible limitations of decolonisation within the university. Discussing Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang’s “Decolonization is not a Metaphor” (2012) and Audre Lorde’s “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House” (1984), this session will be a facilitated dialogue about whether our work in higher education institutions is actually decolonial and what those limitations can teach us. |
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Sami Safadi
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About the speaker form the University of Salford:Sami Safadi (SFHEA) is the Academic Student Success Lead at Salford Business School (SBS), the University of Salford. He is also one of the Inclusivity Leads in SBS working primarily on the ethnicity award gap and matters of equity for students. Additionally, Sami is leading the pilot for Decolonising through Reflexive Practice across the University of Salford. His academic background is in education, learning and teaching and his focus is on equity, social justice, and decolonising education. Additionally, Sami leads on the use of analytics and timely reporting to enhance students’ academic journey and outcomes, ensuring an equity lens throughout. Sami also has works on learner academic development and transition, currently & especially for international postgraduate students. |
About the session:The presentation will explore the development of the Decolonising through Reflexive Practice series from a concept and initial resource through to a supported academic professional development which is now an e-course with workshops piloted across the wider university. The presentation will cover the journey, the benefits, areas for growth, and potential limitations of decolonising academic practice and education. |
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Dr Samantha Owen
Dr Carolien Lamers
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About the speakers from Bangor University:Dr Samantha Owen is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist who has worked in the NHS for the past 10 years within adult health clinical psychology services in North Wales and Staffordshire. She is also an Academic Tutor on the North Wales Clinical Psychology Programme with a lead role in anti-racism and decolonisation. Dr Carolien Lamers trained in the Netherlands as a Social Gerontologist and has retired from the NHS as a Clinical Psychologist after having worked there for over 30 years. She continues to work as the Recruitment and Selection Director at the North Wales Clinical Psychology Programme at Bangor University and is a member of a University-wide group, working towards decolonisation in all aspects of the University. |
About the session:Within clinical psychology, there is a well-established need to increase diversity, improve inclusion and representation, and work towards better meeting the needs of the communities we serve. The North Wales Clinical Psychology Programme have been working towards this in a number of ways, both within the programme as well as linking in with wider University-level decolonisation initiatives. The hope is that this collective work will ensure a greater diversity of clinical psychology trainees being welcomed onto training, where all trainees will have access to a programme that encourages a ‘brave space’, where a range of perspectives and voices are heard. |
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Reece Sohdi
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About the speaker from the University of Sunderland:I am a Lecturer on the PGCE FES course and Programme Leader for the Learning and Skills Teacher Apprenticeship at the University of Sunderland and as an early career researcher, my focus is on decolonising the curriculum within higher education, with a broader view towards its application in the further education and skills sector. My academic journey has sparked a deep interest in educational policies, particularly in relation to curriculum development. My commitment to enhancing teaching practices and fostering inclusive learning environments aligns with my research interests in curriculum decolonisation. At this stage of my career, I am eager to contribute to transformative discussions and practices that promote equity and inclusion across educational sectors. |
About the session:In this session, we will explore the transformative potential of learner-generated content to amplify diverse perspectives and support decolonial initiatives. Participants will gain practical strategies for integrating learner-produced evidence into their teaching and learning practices, fostering inclusive environments that prioritise learner voices and experiences. The workshop aims to enhance participants' capacity to gather and utilise learner-generated evidence, empowering them to advocate for evidence-based decolonial education initiatives. |
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