Ethnocentrism and Exclusion in Education: Thoughts on the Decolonising SOAS debate

As some of you may or may not know, the Student Union (S.U) of the London-based School for Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) has found itself at the centre of a media controversy following the release of their ‘Decolonising SOAS’ initiative. British — and often right-wing leaning — newspapers like the Independent and Tab released a series of articles surrounding the SOAS initiative as an attempt by the university students to remove and ban white philosophers and thinkers from their curriculums. From the way the Daily Mail frames their story, it is clear they are portraying the SOAS community as being too ‘politically correct’; “these may be the names that underpin civilisation”, their article begins, “yet the students at the world-renowened SOAS is insisting that when studying philosophy ‘the majority of the philosophers on our courses’ should be from Africa and Asia’”. If we are to follow the discursive and judgmental tone of these ‘news’ pieces, we may quickly and mistakenly misinterpret the ‘Decolonising SOAS’ initiative a call for a ‘clash-of-civilisations’ confrontation in education. Yet, is this restrictive understanding truly reflective of what SOAS students are trying to do ? What are some of the inherent issues of a one-sided euro-centric education that deserve reconfiguration? In what ways does the debate at SOAS reflect wider global trends of exclusionary education ? This brief article will try to explore and answer some of these questions through the prism and perspective of an open-minded SOAS student.

(Above: the 'Decolonising SOAS' initiative logo. Find out more about the project here)

It is key to begin by understanding why exactly students chose to flock to SOAS, a university renowned for its alternative and politically liberal perspective. For many of us, SOAS unlike many of its educational counterparts, offers the opportunity for an ‘outside-the-box’ style learning that encompasses the diverse and multi-disciplinary knowledge from a range of non-Western cultures. SOAS is a place meant to represent multiculturalism, educational diversity, and the space to learn about the peoples and cultures often excluded from the spectrum of academia and society in general. Where else could one take a course entitled “Religious Arts of Asia” or “World Philosophies”? However, what SOAS means today is very different from what it meant when it was first established in 1916. Rather, the School originally represented colonial powers an instrument through which to extend their imperial influence across Asia and Africa. In this way, SOAS began as a tool through which Western thinking and philosophy could be applied (even if forcefully) throughout the Global South. It would take decades before SOAS could disassociate itself from its colonial roots, a process that is still ongoing today. In fact, SOAS has radically changed its scope, appeal and perspective since its pre-1950s history. The 1946 Scarborough Commission report recommended a major expansion for the provisions on the study of the Asian region. The 1961 Hayter Report then gave attention and resources to the development of the social sciences, another central tenant of the SOAS courses. In less than half a century, the public perception and approach of SOAS as an educational institution had completely changed; from a colonial school to a place that valued diversity, multiculturalism, and a traditionally post-colonial left-wing school philosophy. But have these fundamental shifts been enough to erase the ethnocentrism inherent to SOAS’s colonial past ?

This brings us on to the ‘Decolonising SOAS’ debate, and the wider place of diversity in education. For the representatives of the SOAS Student Union have stated, “Despite being an institution that specialises in Africa and Asia, the curricula at SOAS are not adequately representative of thinkers that emerge from the Global South.” (find full article HERE) As a matter of personal opinion, being a current SOAS student myself, I can only agree with these articulations. While I’ve spent almost half a year at SOAS in a course focused on the international spectrum, the majority of thinkers and writers I’ve been reading have focused on very European/Western conceptions of society and knowledge. What is key to remember here is why students, especially those whose courses don’t specialise in a region, chose SOAS as a university as opposed to others; what leads us chose SOAS over the halls of UCL or Kings College, is that we value and crave a multi-layered, multicultural and self-critical approach to education and learning. Hence, it is a little disappointing that the environment, energy, and appeal which brought us all to SOAS is not adequately reflected in the curriculum that guides our studies. It is this discrepancy which ‘Decolonising SOAS’ is trying to directly address; the aim is to see how SOAS can incorporate into its institution and curriculum different ways and systems of knowing and grant all the same credential and value.

(Above: Art History, 2012, by American artist Leroy Campbell - Find more of his work here)

Yet it seems, as is clear from what International Relations theorists would refer to as a ‘Security Dilemma’, the empowering of those who have been left speechless often causes fear to those who’ve historically held power. The ‘Decolonising SOAS’ project is not about the removal or exclusion of white (male) thinkers from curriculums across the university, as the British media has attempted to portray the initiative. Rather, this project is about making SOAS what it should really be about, that is, the power of cultural diversity in the production of learning and knowledge. It is a project about the inclusion of those historically excluded, not the exclusion of those whose contributions already feature heavily in our learning. It is about learning that knowledge, even though we might at times forget it, comes from a range of places and perspectives. It is about erasing the history of hate and oppression with the power of education and tolerance. Let us not fall easily prey to the divisive rhetoric set forth by these newspapers who claim to be reporting neutrally when they are presenting only one side of what is a complex, lengthy conversation. Let us remember that diversity and acceptance is the force which brings students together at SOAS. While of course, it is undeniable that the university’s student body remains primarily left-leaning and it can at times become limited by this, it is initiatives like ‘Decolonising SOAS’ which will play a key role in unifying and diversifying the ways we learn and our ability to join different perspectives. Education, far from confined to the walls of SOAS, has a lengthy, politically charged Eurocentric history that has for too long erased from its textbooks the work and contributions of non-Western thinkers. This excludes both students and staff from achieving their full potential and confines our understanding of the world around us to a very limited perspective. We should be welcoming initiatives like ‘Decolonising SOAS’; not because they want to include or exclude any particular thinkers but rather because they show us that it is our ability to be reflective and open-minded in our approach to learning that we are best able to progress and advance.

#decolonisingsoas #postcolonialism #education #university #rightwingpress #colonialism #colonialhistory #soas #ethnocentrism #nonwestern #diversity #lackofdiversity #learning