Toward Pedagogies of Decoloniality: Evaluating Teaching Practice and Syllabus Design in IR Undergraduate Modules

Abstract

Abstract Undergraduate teaching in international relations (IR) primarily focuses on state-centric topics of sovereignty, anarchy, and power politics, its dominant theories governed by Western interests. However, the implementation of decolonial pedagogies requires more than simply “adding” non-Western theories to curricula. The myth of Europe must be ruptured, revealing its idealized and partisan foundations, uncovering knowledges from the interstices. This article contributes to the pedagogic literature by exploring attempts to decenter the discipline, evaluating teaching practice and syllabus design in three IR undergraduate modules. Drawing on thirty-five semi-structured interviews with lecturers and students, it argues that students benefit from the introduction of decolonial pedagogies, developing broader curricula knowledge, and, crucially, epistemic criticality. Despite these benefits, implementing decolonial praxis in 12-week modules can be challenging. The article suggests starting-points for lecturers seeking to decenter their teaching, calling for pedagogies of decoloniality to be implemented at a departmental level, with faculty and institutional support.