Methodological design is integral to research and similar endeavors in pursuit of new knowledge. And whereas existing methodologies help standardize research approaches, their adoption, application and utility of associated findings vary widely depending on the type of research, discipline, personal preferences, understanding of the methodology and even geographical location.
How, then, do we ensure that we embed learning actions into research methods so that resulting outcomes are better suited for informing policy decisions and influence wider political debates? And while at it, enrich knowledge, enhance practice and nurture more emancipatory outcomes. For this to happen, it is imperative that we unlearn some practices embedded in current methodologies and re-learn new ways that are more inclusive and widely applicable to current needs. In essence, how do we ‘decolonise methodologies’ in research and policy appraisal and provide alternative opportunities for thinking, knowing - thereby liberating the pursuit of knowledge from the stranglehold of globalizing structures and their conditioning effect?
According to Girei (2017) decolonilaity is a process of self-unlearning which requires the means need to unlearn and then to relearn. However, there is need to be careful not to fall into the trap of what we are trying to change. Unfortunately, the current decoloniality discourse does not provide concrete guidelines about what to change and how to do it, except for identifying a vague, general need for change.
Book project on decoloniality
To rid existing methodologies of rigidities that hamper effective outcomes and utility, a team of experts and organizations have come together to explore alternative methods of pursuing knowledge with a view to making them more suited to wider application without necessarily losing on scientific rigor. In this context, opportunities arising from and challenges hindering the application and utility of findings deriving from established methods will be distilled in a book which sets out to explore how these methods can be modified in a way that ensures they effectively inform policy decisions and generate wider political debates intended to enrich knowledge, enhance practice and nurture better socio-economic outcomes. The book will focus on three strands: the first one strands will strive to explain how research methods can be used to provide learning opportunities by employing new teaching approaches and training techniques. The second strand will focus on explaining how these theories have been used to engage, challenge and shift prevailing methods and practices; while the last strand will aim to identify crucial cross-cutting qualities deriving different methods and explain how related attributes can lead to alternative methods/approaches that are more sustainable, inclusive and can easily be adopted. This book project, therefore, will focus on three research questions:
- How are methods used as an opportunity to generate, integrate, and communicate research and learning? This research question will explore the theoretical, practical, business related, and policy related definitions of decoloniality, cognisant of the cultural diversity within and among disciplines.
- How are methods exploring opportunities to engage with, challenge, balance and relate with power and privilege within, and across disciplines? The project goes beyond simply documenting the opportunities, and includes a learning design framework that would allow for different stakeholders in research, education, and training to identify with, and report cross-cutting experiences.
- What specific attributes of the methodological tools enables us to learn and build knowledge for research, policy, entrepreneurship, and practice? The transdisciplinary approach in the project explores various specialised and generalised research and learning concepts, through development of methods vignettes that document applicable across disciplines, scientific cultures, and application areas.
The outcomes deriving from the project will feed into the wider Africa-Uninet programme by contributing to its components through:
- Joint development and implementation of trainings, workshops, seminars, conferences, alumni meetings
- Joint work on publications
- Joint supervision of students
Project work packages
The process leading to the production of this book will be anchored on six work packages:
Work package 1: Project management
This work package will focus on managing the project, and the partnership, including intercultural team building and required reporting
Work package 2: Conceptualisation of “c in Transformation to Sustainability”
The work package will focus on conceptualising the book volume(s), and the webinar series, by defining themes and concepts with special emphasis on transformation to sustainability. This will be done moderated discussions and workshops in Austria and Kenya, and expert consultations.
Work package 3: Multi-sectoral/Multi-stakeholders’ involvement
This package will entail discussions with different stakeholders - researchers, policy makers, practitioners, & entrepreneurs - to explore how different kinds of methodologies can challenge power, and how researchers and others can challenge the power or privilege imprinted on particular methodologies. This will be done through a series of webinars.
Work package 4: Capability development
The project will aim to build the capacity of early career researchers (PhD students and post-docs) and practitioners (influencers of scholarly activism) on what, how and why methods are/can be used to learn and contribute towards a list of methods applicable for research. This will be done through webinar series, as well as supervision of the PhD students on decoloniality of methods.
Work package 5: Documenting Policy and Research Lessons
This work package will integrate all the research, policy, practice and entrepreneurship lessons, consolidated in policy briefs, working papers, and training manual for transformation to sustainability through decoloniality of methods. The outputs from this work package, will also include the ultimate book volume(s), which will be promoted through the annual Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN) conference.
Work package 6: Decoloniality Summer School
The aims of the Summer School (SS) is to build the capacity of early career researchers, practitioners and policy makers. Hence, 30 individuals will be trained on “Decolonising Methods” as a tool to encourage balanced power and privilege within and across disciplines. The summer school will draw on the book volume published in the year, based on synthesis of material and training gaps identified during the webinar series, and in the documentation of the lessons.
Project Partners
African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS)
The African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), based in Nairobi through a host country agreement with the Kenyan government, is a leading Intergovernmental Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policy research institute established in 1988. Over the last 30 years, ACTS has been instrumental in enlarging the range of policy choices, and their implementation for sustainable development in Africa through high quality research, policy dialogues, and training, which has earned the institution regional and global recognition in climate change science and negotiations, agricultural technology for development (including bio-policy), and partnership for achieving the SDGs. Through its work, ACTS has recognised various capacity gaps among young scholars and practitioners, resulting in the launching of the African Research and Impact Network (ARIN), recognising the future of research, capacity building, and policy dialogues for the SDGs. Contact person: Joel Onyango, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
University of Innsbruck (UIBK)
The University of Innsbruck was founded in 1669 and is the biggest and most important research and education institution in western Austria, today comprising of more than 27.000 students and more than 5000 staff and faculty members. 16 faculties and 83 departments provide a broad spectrum of programs in all fields of study. Researchers are organized in the following research areas and research platforms: Cultural Encounters – Cultural Conflicts; Digital Science Center; Molecular Biosciences; Mountain Regions; Physics; Scientific Computing; Advanced Materials; Empirical and Experimental Economics; Center for Gender Studies Innsbruck; Organizations & Society and further unaffiliated research centers. In order to promote international exchange in research and teaching, the University collaborates with numerous international research and education institutions. Contact Person: Bernadette Müller Kmet, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU)
BOKU a long tradition of working in developing countries, especially in East Africa. International Training Programmes in Limnology (IPGL) coordinates a variety of training programmes and acts as an interface platform linking institutions of Higher Education & Research world-wide. IPGL aims to support research capacity enhancement processes in developing countries for achieving the Millennium Development Goals and now SDGs. More than 550 young scientists from developing countries have attended training courses organised by IPGL and recently the “International Joint Degree Master Programme in Limnology & Wetland Management” was established, organised by BOKU, UNESCO-IHE, Delft, The Netherlands (http://www.unesco-ihe.org) and Egerton University, Egerton, Kenya (www.egerton.ac.ke). Another important aim is to initiate and facilitate joint research projects between southern & northern institutions with specific emphasis on African regions. Contact Person: Andreas Melcher, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
