Decolonizing Sustainability Research 

Background 

In the Global South, ‘coloniality’ has long been associated with political rule over subordinated countries 1. Struggles for ‘decoloniality’ have evolved from the undoing of colonial rule, to the even more fundamental challenge of freeing knowledge, practice, and culture from deeper worldwide concentrations of incumbent power 2. In keeping with the more expansive ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals, a decolonisation framework thus encompasses some of the most profound and pervasive critiques of globalising structures and their conditioning effects in every setting 3. Accordingly, the neglected imperative to ‘decolonise methodologies’ in research and policy appraisal, embodies some of the most important and intractable challenges in this sustainability – offering crucial opportunities for thinking, knowing, and doing alike 4. The summer school will allow participants therefore to explore how methods for informing policy decisions and wider political debates can enable learning, enrich knowledge, enhance practice and nurture more emancipatory outcomes in the Global South. 

About the summer school 

Drawing from the lessons on the Decoloniality of Methods webinar series (practices), and book project (theory), the summer school will provide a practical opportunity for participants to explore how methods have been (can be) used to inform, impact and transform policies, societies and economies. At the end of the training sessions, the participants will participate in the STEPS methods year workshop, as part of their post-summer school alumni engagement. The summer school takes into consideration a learner centred approach, allowing for theory, practice, and practical approaches.  

The aims of the ARIN-ASH Summer School (SS) is to build the capacity of early career researchers, practitioners and policy makers, which involves a series of activities (calling for applications to join the annual school, publishing an annual volume, and a thematised training session), and similar to the global hub’s initiatives to enhance the capacity in the deferent regions. 

Find more information on the ARIN-ASH Summer School and Application here

Project Outcomes;

Through the webinars and the book, the key lessons on decoloniality of methods would be documented for research, policy and practice to illuminate/connect practical examples and reflections, including on ‘qualities’ of methods and how these are used to open up and broaden out pathways to sustainability.

Project outputs include;

• Webinars. Find more information here
• 20 early career individuals trained
• Book on Decoloniality in Methods and Methods vignettes:  More information on abstract  submission here