Blog post
Decolonising curriculum knowledge: A scholarly journey from the local, to national and international perspectives
I began decolonising curriculum knowledge 25 years ago. The was the catalyst of my activism in education, research, teaching and learning. Like me, Stephen was from South London. Like me, Stephen was a young Black British man. His murder could have been mine, or that of my brothers, or my male cousins. His parents’ grief and tears could have been those of my parents.
Recommendation 67 of the inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence stated on page 382:
鈥楾hat consideration be given to amendment of the National Curriculum aimed at valuing cultural diversity and preventing racism, in order better to reflect the needs of a diverse society.鈥
This in fact was a recommendation for the national curriculum to be decolonised.
1999 was also the year that I began my training as a primary school teacher. I was not trained to become a critical curriculum thinker. I had to learn this myself. Teaching and learning for social justice in advancing anti-racism became my focus through the primary school history curriculum.
Unfortunately, national curriculum policymakers have continued to ignore Recommendation 67 from Macpherson (1999). They . This is untrue. makes ) naked, exposing this as a hegemonic 鈥榃hite Lives Matter鈥 only national history curriculum policy document.
asked me in 2020 to support their membership with generating opportunities to engage with more critical ways of thinking and knowing about British history. They have now produced innovate teaching and learning training materials to support the . I look forward to sharing my research findings on the impact of this work.
Over the last four years, I have extended my research and writing collaborations in advancing anti-racism for social justice through a unique range of global academic interdisciplinary perspectives, now published through a book entitled (Moncrieffe, 2022). This work offers educational insights from the UK, Nepal, South Africa, Namibia, Australia, Colombia, Canada, Thailand, Mauritius, Poland, Russia, Norway and the Netherlands.
My co-authors and I journeyed together with the following proverb in mind:
Si quieres ir r谩pido, ve solo. Si quieres llegar lejos, ve acompa帽ado.
啶う啶 啶むた啶 啶涏た啶熰 啶溹ぞ啶 啶氞ぞ啶灌え啷嵿啷 啶え啷 啶忇啷嵿げ啷 啶溹ぞ啶, 啶う啶 啶むた啶 啶熰ぞ啶⑧ぞ 啶溹ぞ啶 啶氞ぞ啶灌え啷嵿啷 啶え啷 啶膏啶椸 啶溹ぞ啶 啷
Ukuba ufuna ukuhamba ngokukhawuleza, hamba wedwa. Ukuba nifuna ukuya kude, hambani kunye.
Si to anvi al vit, mars tou sel. Si to anvi al lwoin mars ensam ek lezot.
喙勦笡喔勦笝喙喔斷傅喔⑧抚喔覆喔堗箘喔涏箘喔斷箟喙勦抚 喙佮笗喙堗笘喙夃覆喔涪喔侧竵喙勦笡喙勦笖喙夃箘喔佮弗喙喔｀覆喔曕箟喔竾喙勦笡喔斷箟喔о涪喔佮副喔
Hvis du vil g氓 fort, g氓 alene. Hvis du vil n氓 langt, g氓 sammen.
袝褋谢懈 褏芯褔械褕褜 懈写褌懈 斜褘褋褌褉芯, 懈写懈 芯写懈薪 袝褋谢懈 褏芯褔械褕褜 懈写褌懈 写邪谢械泻芯, 懈写懈 胁屑械褋褌械.
Je艣li chcesz i艣膰 szybko,聽id藕 sam;聽je艣li chcesz zaj艣膰 daleko,聽id藕聽z innymi.
Als je snel wilt, dan ga je alleen. Als je ver wilt, dan ga je samen.
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
offers the reader unique case studies of decolonising curriculum knowledge through research, teaching and learning, in advancing anti-racism for social justice, for sharing quality education, and in challenging the inequities and inequalities stated by the aims and contents of national curricula discourse within our global focus.
will be on Friday 18 November at 1pm UK time.
References
Department for Education [DfE]. (2013). History programmes of study: key stages 1 and 2. National curriculum in England.
Macpherson, W., Cook, T., Sentamu, J., & Stone, R. (1999).聽The Stephen Lawrence inquiry: Report of an inquiry by Sir William Macpherson of Cluny, CM 4262-I. Stationery Office.
Moncrieffe, M. L. (Ed.). (2022). Decolonising curriculum knowledge: International perspectives and interdisciplinary approaches. Springer Nature.
Moncrieffe, M. L. (2020).聽Decolonising the history curriculum: Eurocentrism and primary schooling. Springer Nature.