Towards an anti-racist classroom at university? Race, empire, and international relations

Abstract

This article aims to critically assess the perpetuation of racism and colonialism in university education, by developing a case study in international relation (IR) programmes. With a perspective rooted in a postcolonial analysis of colonial legacies in the IR system and a decolonial approach of pedagogy, I explore how IRs are taught in Belgium. I employ an interpretive approach using quantitative and qualitative methods, based on a content analysis of programmes and course materials. Findings suggest that both a decolonial approach of the discipline (decolonize the curriculum) and a decolonial approach of the classroom (decolonize pedagogy) are necessary. The commitment to creating an anti-racist space within the university necessarily leads us to go beyond the critical approach of the curriculum to develop a pedagogical approach challenging racial hierarchies inside the classroom itself. However, this commitment is challenged by the institutional settings of the university, an institution embedded in racial capitalism.