There should be no doubt that religious studies needs to go through a process of decolonisation. But what does this really mean, and how can this process get started?
Decolonisation is not the same as diversification. The aim for diversity is to accommodate (‘find room’) for ‘alternatives’ and differences within an existing scheme which largely remains unchanged.
Decolonisation is about change. It is about responding to changes that are taking place well beyond the classroom — and also changes that should be taking place. And it is about changing how people think, talk, and act through a radical engagement with a plurality of voices and perspectives that have been historically marginalised and silenced.
Decolonisation is not about ‘finding room’ at the table, it is about changing the room. On this episode of Sankofa, join Joshua Maponga III Mara-Rah for an in-depth conversation about the decolonisation of Christianity, how is dogma and theology formulated, and the seven principles of systemic theology.