#CFP: ‘#Decolonising Critical Thought’ Workshop; Manchester, UK; 29 Apr 2020

Call for Participation

'Decolonising Critical Thought' Workshop

Wed 29^th April, 2020, 12 to 5pm

International Anthony Burgess Foundation (Manchester)

 

In recent years, through the contestation of symbolic figures, campaigns such as #RhodesMustFall have highlighted the lasting impact of colonialism in the public realm. These campaigns exist alongside wider debates about the less visible legacy of colonialism in contemporary power relations and the ongoing exclusions and oppressions that they sustain. In the education sector, and in Universities in particular, these discussions have prompted reflection on the possibilities and advantages of decolonising the curriculum. Attempts to diversify a Euro-centric and culturally hegemonic syllabus, have revealed more deep-rooted, structural challenges than a mere re-shuffling of the personnel that appear on reading lists. At the same time, important discussions have started in a wide range of research fields and disciplines on the colonial assumptions underpinning established intellectual traditions and research practices. This project poses the question of what it means to decolonise the methodologies used for engaging in intellectual production. We need to ask whether the concepts and questions through which we inscribe our inquiries are committed to modes of thought that perpetuate and sustain coloniality.

The Critical Theory in Hard Times research network was initiated in February 2019 at Manchester Metropolitan with a research cluster event centred on the question: 'What does it means to be critical today?' This academic year, we hope to reflect on the relationship between coloniality and critical thought today. Our efforts as a network to re-think critical theory beyond the silos of particular traditions of critical traditions (including but not limited to postcolonial and decolonial thought, feminism, critical race theory, Frankfurt School, Gramscian, Bourdieusian, Foucauldian approaches, deconstruction), lead us to ask about the potential for dialogue and engagement between these approaches concerning the question of (de)colonisation. This workshop will ask to what extent a dialogue between these traditions, or a clarification of the terms of their incompatibility, can contribute towards identifying the resources that they provide towards creating a global critical theory.

We are looking to experiment with the format of our engagement by hosting less formal modes of presentation in order to encourage discussions between contributors rather than a series of presentations.

For this reason, we ask for a 200-word statement of interest and an indication of the questions with which you are interested to engage – either from the indicative list or by adding to it.

Please send contributions by Friday 28^th February to criticaltheorynetwork@gmail.com (Participants will be notified of acceptance by 13^th March)

We particularly encourage the participation of PGRs and ECRs.

Indicative Questions:

·       What are the colonial and racialised structures that endure in your field of study?

·       What does it mean to 'decolonise' critical thought?

·       How can we relate to the teaching and research conversations on 'decolonising' the curriculum and research?

·       What are the risks of institutionalisation, co-optation etc. and how can they be avoided? 

·       What is the critical content of decolonisation?

·       What is the broader significance of these discussions for contemporary politics?

·       What dialogues / conversations can be started between different strands of CT?

·       How is the issue of epistemic incommensurability / incommunicability to be dealt with?

·       What does it mean to be methodologically decolonial?

·       What is a decolonial methodology?

·       Is a 'global critical theory' possible?

·       In what ways does 'practice as research' engage with the decolonisation of critical thought?

Critical Theory in Hard Times network co-convenors: Sadiya Akram, Paul Giladi, Davide Schmid, Robert Jackson