In this Teaching Matters podcast series, produced by The Race Equality and Anti-Racist Sub-Committee (REAR) at The University of Edinburgh in collaboration with Teaching Matters, we hear from different academics at the University about what Decolonising the Curriculum means for them, and how they have put this into practice in their learning and teaching or research. They also share some readings that they have found useful.
In this episode, Johanna Holtan Co-Convenor of the Race Equality and Anti-Racist Sub-Committee (REAR) and Programme Director, Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program talks to intersectional feminist scholar from the Global South, Dr Radhika Govinda, Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the School of Social and Political Science. Dr Govinda sits on the steering committees for the University’s GenderED and RACE.ED networks. She is Associate Director of CRITIQUE, and an active member of the Centre for South Asian Studies. In this episode, she discusses decolonisation as a process of decentring whiteness, which entails unpacking the historical implications of deconstructing knowledge production. For her, the classroom is a key entry point for undertaking such a process in inspiring students to insert dilemmas into their subjectivities. In this way, the classroom is conducive space for exploring discomforts, assumptions, and vulnerabilities.
Dr radhika govinda’s Recommendations:
- Mohanty, Chandra Talpade. “‘Under Western Eyes’ Revisited: Feminist Solidarity through Anticapitalist Struggles.” Signs, vol. 28, no. 2, 2003, pp. 499–535.
- Hooks, Bell. (1994). Teaching to transgress : education as the practice of freedom. New York: Routledge
- Crenshaw, Kimberle. “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color.” Stanford Law Review, vol. 43, no. 6, 1991, pp. 1241–1299.
Series Produced and Edited By
Joséphine Foucher
Joséphine is doing a PhD in Sociology at The University of Edinburgh. Her research looks at the intersection between art and politics in contemporary Cuba. She supports Jenny Scoles as the Teaching Matters Co-Editor and Student Engagement Officer through the PhD Intern scheme at the Institute for Academic Development.
Joseph Arton
Dr. Joe Arton is an Academic Developer at the Institute for Academic Development at the University of Edinburgh, he is a member of the University’s Curriculum Transformation Programme Team and curated The Edinburgh Hybrid Teaching Exchange, the University of Edinburgh’s internal site for Hybrid Teaching and Learning resources and best practice. He has a PhD in Film and Media and specialises in digital media for academic development.
Eric Berger
Eric is a Mathematics and Statistics student at The University of Edinburgh, and a podcasting intern for Teaching Matters. Eric is passionate about university student mental health, interviewing researchers for the Student Mental Health Research Network at King’s College London, leading the University of Edinburgh’s WellComm Kings Peer Support Scheme, and conducting research on stigma for People With Mental Illnesses (PWMI). In his free time, he enjoys watching and playing sports, over-analysing hip-hop songs, podcasts, and any sort of wholesome shenanigans.
