LAST OCTOBER, THE ACTING vice-chancellor of Cambridge University, Dr Anthony Freeling, made a confession, widely reported in the press. He confessed that he is baffled by “decolonisation”. The word, he said, “has been misused to such an extent that I don’t think, if I’m honest, I can give an accurate definition”.
I sympathise with his bafflement because “decolonisation” can mean a variety of different things, some of which make good sense, but others, very bad sense indeed. And the bad ones smuggle themselves into university departments under cover of the good.
The original and most natural home of “decolonisation” is in former British colonies. There it can mean something entirely reasonable. For example, in 1986 the Kenyan novelist and playwright, Ngugi wa Thiong’o published a book with the title, Decolonising the Mind. Here he argued that African literature should be written in African languages, such as his own Gikuyu. Why? So that Africans can recover a sense of self-respect and stop being in thrall to the assumption that whatever comes out of Europe is better. To which the only sensible response is: Yes, of course.
WHEN TRANSLATED OUT OF ITS ORIGINAL, post-colony context and into contemporary Britain, “decolonisation” can still make some good sense. It can mean correcting the neglect in school curricula of the history of immigration and the contribution of immigrants to this country.
Or it can mean that important texts that have been excluded from reading lists in schools and universities, just because of prejudice against the race of their authors should be included.
Less reasonable, however, is the opposition of “decolonisers” to “Euro-centricity” and their insistence on shifting attention to non-European histories and cultures. On the contrary, a certain Euro-centricity in British education is entirely justified. Britain is not Anywhere. We are located in northwest Europe, we have a particular history, and we have developed particular institutions and traditions.
It’s vitally important, therefore, that school education at least should focus on helping budding
