Re-thinking the decolonisation of knowledge and dismantling of intellectual imperialism: focusing on epistemic and social justice

This introduction discusses the articles in our special issue ‘Decolonising Epistemology’, and derives from them several recommendations for decolonisation: (1) Current decolonisation efforts are mainly led by privileged scholars, when they should be spearheaded by oppressed scholars. Scholars holding privilege should focus on supporting roles. (2) Decolonisation should put dismantling the global power structures erected by colonialism front and centre. (3) Decolonisation should place much greater focus on social justice and activism. (4) Decolonisation should dismantle the global academic power structures that centre the views of the Global North and silence Global South critiques. (5) A focus on epistemic justice may help to highlight intersecting axes of oppression. (6) Is is important to recognise and centre knowledges produced by non-academics. (7) This calls for re-thinking the ways academia currently reviews and evaluates knowledge. (8) There should be a greater focus on how biased, Eurocentric knowledge translates into biased policymaking, which deepens the coloniality of power and facilitates control and exploitation of the Global South. (9) The decolonisation project should place the human and ecological cost of colonisation and neo-colonialism at its centre. Reparations and true social justice for everyone on the planet must be at the heart of decolonisation.