Decoloniality in Research Methods

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This short course will be an opportunity for us to engage with a variety of decolonial theories and methodologies and to consider the implications of these approaches on a variety of elements of our research processes. Each session will consist of a presentation which engages with selected decolonial theory and methods, examples of ‘methods in practice’ drawn from across the social sciences and time for self-reflexive individual and group discussion.

The course will not prescriptively define and provide instructions for ‘decolonial methods’, but instead be a space to consider a variety of ways in which scholars, activists and those working outside the traditional boundaries of ‘the academy’ have thought decolonially about social science research methodologies. The course’s workshop format will enable opportunities for us to apply some of these insights to our own scholarship.

• University postgraduate students from participating Departments
• Further details regarding eligibility criteria are available here

The module will consist of three 90-minute in-person sessions

Please note: Each session builds on material covered in the previous session, so participation in all three sessions is strongly encouraged. There will be no pre-reading for the sessions and the course is suitable for participants at any stage of a research project with all levels of knowledge/experience of decolonial scholarship.

Session 1: Research fields & research design

We begin the course by thinking reflexively about our research fields and disciplines, mobilizing decolonial theory to consider the norms, practices and expectations of our fields. We’ll then think practically and methodologically about whether and how this impacts the ways in which we review literature and design our research projects.

Session 2: Data collection & analysis

In this second session, we’ll think about the realities of conducting social research, considering the collection and analysis of a range of data types (including quantitative data, qualitative interviews, (auto)ethnography and archival research). Drawing on critical, decolonial and intersectional methodologies, we’ll consider some of the ways in which our data collection and analysis can contribute to decolonial modes of knowledge production.

Session 3: Data presentation & dissemination

In this final session, we’ll place our projects into a wider context by considering the ways in which we share ourfindings. We’ll consider the purpose and effects of different modes of dissemination, drawing on a broad range of case studies that encourage us to think about the methods we mobilize when creating and sharing research outputs.

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