Decolonising ≠ Diversity
Decolonisation & Activism at the University of Bath
Over the past month I have been involved in the creation of the Decolonise Architecture group at the University of Bath, this process has raised a number of issues that need to be addressed whether by the activists involved, the Students’ Union, the University and individual departments. These include defining and understanding ‘decolonisation’, political education, activism training, long term planning, conduct complaints and reputational protection of activists. These issues are not limited to the Decolonise Architecture group but have been running themes through involvement over the past 6 years in activism groups like Bath Students Against Fees & Cuts, the National Union of Students LGBT+ and Black Students Campaigns and Diversity & Support groups like LGBT+, Feminism & Gender Equality and the Race Equality group.
Defining Decolonisation
Decolonisation and anti-racism are not synonymous, decolonisation is a form of anti-racism that is based in specific academic and political theory. A couple of definitions of Decolonisation include:
Decolonisation is “an ongoing practice of deactivation and reorientation understood both in its presence and its endlessness.” It “seeks to unleash a process of open-ended transformation towards visions of equality and justice”[1]
Decolonisation, “first, it is a way of thinking about the world which takes colonialism, empire and racism as its empirical & discursive objects of study: it restates these phenomena as key shaping forces of the contemporary world… Second, it purports to offer alternative ways of thinking about the world”[2]
“Decolonisation is about recognising the roots of contemporary racism in the multiple material, political, social and cultural processes of colonialism and proceeding from that point; this involves the laborious work of structural change at several levels of society”[3]
“true decolonisation is more than simply replacing indigenous or previously colonised people into the positions held by colonisers. Decolonisation includes the revaluation of political, social, economic and judicial structures themselves, and the development, if appropriate, of new structures which can hold and house the values and aspirations of the colonised people”[4]
Decolonisation is not a simple, straight forward or apolitical process, it requires political and academic rigour to ensure changes are not superficial and short term. It requires investigating, in the context of the university, who creates knowledge? How knowledge is created? And who it is created for? This fits into wider conversations about university governance, democratisation of the university, marketisation of education and so on. While many of these topics are beyond the scope of influence of the University and SU, and well beyond the power of new student activists, this context needs to be understood for work to further the overall goal of tackling institutional racism.
Political Education
Before creating a group, starting a campaign or making demands to the University or SU a level of politicisation of student activists is needed to ensure demands address the core causes of the issues as well as ensuring that demands further the overall political goal, otherwise demands will be superficial, provide little material change and will have very short term effects. There is also a massive issue with some students who do not have the education but have good intentions who end up causing more damage to the cause due to their blissful ignorance. With political education comes educating people on knowing their place and how they can use their privilege to support rather than silence voices in the room. This has become very prevalent with BLM where there have been cases of black voices being silenced by so called ‘white allyship’ or people speaking on behalf of certain groups. If you wish to engage in activism, this type of behaviour can’t run.
This political education can come from a number of sources; if a new activism group has been formed it is advisable for the first year after forming the group focuses on political education to politicise its members and to ensure it doesn’t run before it can walk, political education should also be the responsibility of the Students’ Union in the form of providing political education opportunities through its student groups including the Diversity & Support and Politics & Activism groups, and finally political education should also be the responsibility of the University where curriculums are broadened to ensure all students are provided political and social education to ensure at the point of graduation all students are fully rounded and socially aware individuals.
Activism Training
Another issue that the past weeks within Decolonise Architecture have shown is that there is a complete lack of understanding of how students should campaign within and outside of the institution. This also includes students not understanding that challenging the status quo within the institution will cause discomfort and controversy but they are necessary evils to achieve lasting change. This is not only felt by members of the institution who are being lobbied but also by the activists as they may become victims to reputational attacks and threats from the far-right. The threats disproportionately affect people of colour and can take the form of online death threats, media smears and/or doxxing (the publishing of private information typically addresses and online). These risks need to be made aware to students getting involved in anti-racist activism and students need to be trained to handle them, this includes tackling risk to a campaign group as often accusations and issues are not as black and white as they may initially appear.
We need to ask ourselves whether the activism training currently offered by the SU goes far enough when it comes to equipping students who wish to engage with anti-racist work? We can’t have a one-size fits all approach to activism.
Long Term Planning
This is one of the most important issues identified. The University of Bath, because of the sandwich format of most courses, the student turn-over and ‘living’ knowledge within groups is often only 2 years. This dynamic means that campaigns are often short sighted and do not reflect the long-term planning needed for the deep structural change that is needed within the institution. This long-term planning needs to be addressed when departments communicate with student activism groups and needs to be included in SU activism training. Often work that needs to be done to create a strong base for a sustainable campaign group doesn’t feel worthwhile or satisfying for new activists however it is the work that is most important. It is only through slowly creating discussions that cause a cultural shift that make lasting change in the long run. In order to help with long term planning with this kind of work, we need appropriate staff support for students, and have staff who have the correct knowledge and training to fully engage with anti-racist work or else there will be the danger of any work collapsing/ being lost.
Reputational Risk and Complaints
With the risks to students’ reputation discussed in the Activism Training section there is a level of responsibility that reflects onto the University and SU for these students’ welfare as ultimately activists are working for free to better the student experience at the institution. This includes taking malicious intent in accusations into consideration and providing material support to students facing smears whether that be counselling, individual mitigating circumstance, public statements of support or using the weight of the institution in complaints against malicious organisations in support of an affected student. This form of support requires the university to answer this question; is this institution comfortable enough to support anti-racist activism or will they put reputational risk above everythign?
Where new student groups have been founded and they are yet to fall into a formal relationship with the University or Students’ Union, the students should be advised to channel all complaints or potential controversy through the Students’ Union this is either to utilise the SU’s complaints procedure or to receive advice from SU staff, however it is worth noting that current university and SU procedures do not go far enough to understand the scale of racism and may not be properly equipped to deal with a students who comes in with concerns about anti-blackness/ xenophobia they are experienced. Maybe this institution isn’t able to properly support student activists of colour and that should be acknowledged and contingency be put in place with collaborations with other organisations like the National Union of Students.
Conclusion
The University, SU and individual departments need to take more responsibility in supporting and guiding student activists when it comes to decolonising our university. This should include political education, activism training and welfare for support for students who spend their time and energy for the betterment of the university, for those who risk their reputations without asking for much in return.
Written by Zeid Truscott & Ruqia Osman
Resources:
Sources:
[1] Alessandro Petti, Sandi Hilal and Eyal Weizman, ‘Architecture after Revolution’ (Berlin: Sternberg Press, 2013), 18
[2] Gurminder Bhambra, Dalia Gebrial and Kerem Nisancioglu, ‘Introduction: Decolonising the University?’, in Decolonising the University, ed. Gurminder Bhambra, Dalia Gebrial and Kerem Nisancioglu (London: Pluto Press, 2018), 2
[3] Dalia Gebrial, ‘Rhodes Must Fall: Oxford and Movements for Change’, in Decolonising the University, ed. Gurminder Bhambra, Dalia Gebrial and Kerem Nisancioglu (London: Pluto Press, 2018), 29
[4] Poka Laenui, ‘Processes of Decolonization’, in Reclaiming Indigenous Voice and Vision, ed. Marie Battiste (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2000) 150–160
