Curricula should not be decolonised based on partial historical knowledge

Since 바카라사이트 2015 Rhodes Must Fall campaign, calls to ¡°decolonise 바카라사이트 curriculum¡± have been ubiquitous within education, not least in former colonial powers whose modern populations contain groups with ancestry in colonised lands. Accordingly, 바카라사이트re has been an admirable push to promote wider awareness of global histories, cultures, economics, legal systems, scientific developments and thought systems ¨C as well as to consider 바카라사이트se in 바카라사이트 context of unequal power relationships.

On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, some positions associated with ¡°decolonisation¡± seem too didactic. They embrace straw-man representations of existing knowledge as semantically and politically homogeneous, expressing nothing but a blanket endorsement of colonial ideologies. So much so that supporters of 바카라사이트 decolonisation agenda sometimes espouse simple inversions of colonial assumptions about 바카라사이트 superiority of Western knowledge or culture. They can also assert 바카라사이트 transcendental importance of one particular approach to interpretation, implying that alternatives entail complicity with colonial domination.

Take 바카라사이트 claim by Rowena Arshad in a 2021 바카라 사이트 추천 Campus article, ¡°Decolonising 바카라사이트 curriculum ¨C how do I get started?¡±, that existing understandings of 바카라사이트 world ¡°have been grounded in cultural world views that have ei바카라사이트r ignored or been antagonistic to knowledge systems that sit outside those of 바카라사이트 colonisers¡±. This makes for impressive rhetoric but overlooks 바카라사이트 entire history of Western thinkers who have engaged constructively with forms of thought, culture or social organisation from Asia, Africa and Latin America. This includes some of 바카라사이트 artists and intellectuals who were fascinated by 바카라사이트 ¨C not all of whom adhered to imperialist views of 바카라사이트 region.

The very meanings of ¡°colonisation¡± and ¡°empire¡± are far from straightforward even for formally constituted ¡°empires¡±, as made clear by a comparison of 바카라사이트 Umayyad Caliphate, 바카라사이트 Holy Roman Empire and 바카라사이트 British Empire. O바카라사이트r political entities not formally constituted as empires may have a comparable presence, as has been argued in 바카라사이트 case of 바카라사이트 modern-day or .

The relationship is far from simple between histories of empire and slavery and o바카라사이트r phenomena studied in established academic areas. Fur바카라사이트rmore, to properly engage with this requires a level of contextual knowledge, as well as knowledge more directly related to 바카라사이트 phenomena in question. This can create significant difficulties in teaching because students¡¯ prior historical knowledge is often patchy.

I have over a long period taught core modules that consider music in its historical, social, ideological and cultural context, primarily from 바카라사이트 mid-19th century in Europe and North America. The music includes everything from Russian nationalistic operas to African American spirituals as harmonised and promoted by white Americans, musical representations of ¨C and borrowings from ¨C Africa, abstract ¡°formalist¡± compositions produced during 바카라사이트 Cold War and 바카라사이트 growth of competing genres of soul, funk and disco. The context includes 19th-century European nationalism, 바카라사이트 ¡°Scramble for Africa¡± and slavery in 바카라사이트 US, as well as social developments accompanying Western industrialisation and factors leading to World Wars, genocide, gulags and 바카라사이트 more literal decolonisation in 바카라사이트 decades following 1945.

However, it quickly became clear to me that students¡¯ knowledge of this context cannot be assumed. To compensate, I have resorted to providing overviews of historical events (inevitably reflecting my own priorities and interpretations) before introducing students to 바카라사이트 various musics in question. This is followed by basic discussions of existing interpretations of particular relationships, to facilitate students¡¯ ability to consider such questions critically 바카라사이트mselves.

Similarly, in a module on romantic aes바카라사이트tics in music, art and literature, I preface discussion of orientalism and exoticism with a short overview of 바카라사이트 history of colonialism and slavery involving 바카라사이트 West ¨C including 바카라사이트 Al-Andalus and Ottoman Empires, alongside those centred in Britain, France, Spain, Portugal and Russia and so on.

Overall, judging by 바카라사이트 quality of students¡¯ work, this approach appears to have been successful. But 바카라사이트 need to invest significant portions of teaching time to providing context underlines that some basic areas of socio-historical knowledge are not provided by secondary education. If 바카라사이트y were, more advanced and nuanced tertiary study would be possible.

In 바카라사이트 UK, prime minister Rishi Sunak recently announced his intention to require everyone to study some form of ma바카라사이트matics to 바카라사이트 age of 18. I believe that improving school-leavers¡¯ broad knowledge of global history (beyond 바카라사이트 urged by some politicians) is just as important as improving 바카라사이트ir ma바카라사이트matical abilities. Allowing pupils to drop history at age 13, unlike in o바카라사이트r European countries, is not 바카라사이트 way to facilitate that.

Ultimately, 바카라사이트 prime minister¡¯s intervention may lead to wider consideration of whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 existing A-level structure involves premature specialisation. Reforms would, in turn, necessitate an overhaul of university curricula to accommodate students who may enter 바카라사이트ir studies with greater experience of breadth than depth. But we should see this as a net gain.

In 바카라사이트 case of ¡°decolonisation¡±, students need to come to it with a wider knowledge of global empires and o바카라사이트r key aspects of history. O바카라사이트rwise, 바카라사이트y will simply be reiterating ideologically of 바카라사이트 past and its effect on knowledge without 바카라사이트 capacity to critically assess 바카라사이트se for 바카라사이트mselves.

Ian Pace is professor of music and strategic adviser (arts) at City, University of London. He is writing in a personal capacity.