Decolonial Practices in Human Geography
Summary
Decolonial practices in human geography constitute a critical reappraisal of inherited disciplinary frameworks, knowledge production and pedagogical norms shaped by colonial histories. Scholars in this field interrogate the coloniality of power that underpins spatial imaginaries, curricula and research methodologies, aiming to dismantle Eurocentric paradigms and recentre marginalised voices. Core concerns include the recognition of Indigenous ontologies, the validation of embodied and collective knowledges, and the pursuit of epistemic justice through collaborative and reflexive approaches. By unveiling the enduring legacies of empire in patterns of land use, resource extraction, urban planning and environmental governance, decolonial geographers advocate for transformative praxis that advances social and spatial justice, fosters pluriversal dialogue and reconfigures relations between scholar-activists and communities worldwide.
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Decolonial Practices in Human Geography publication trend
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Technical terms
Coloniality of power: A structuring principle through which colonial patterns of dominance persist in political, economic and cultural spheres long after formal decolonisation.
Decoloniality: A theoretical and practical project aimed at unravelling and overcoming colonial systems of knowledge, authority and governance.
Epistemic violence: The systematic suppression or devaluation of knowledges and ways of knowing deemed inferior by dominant epistemic regimes.
Knowledge sovereignty: The assertion of rights by communities and scholars to define, produce and govern their own knowledge systems free from external imposition.
References
- Geographies of race and ethnicity 1: Black geographies. Progress in Human Geography (2022).
- A Decolonial Critique of the Racialized “Localwashing” of Extraction in Central Africa. Annals of the American Association of Geographers (2019).
- Against abstraction: Reclaiming and reorienting to embodied collective knowledges of solidarity. Environment and Planning D Society and Space (2024).
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