Birmingham Business School's Decolonization Project: Theory to Practice

Summary

Birmingham Business School initiated a three-year 'decolonization' project to overhaul its curriculum, research, and operations. This initiative aimed to dismantle colonial legacies by fundamentally transforming institutional systems through dialogue, embracing discomfort, and co-creation among staff and students. The project represents an effort to re-engineer institutional policies and practices to align with a specific ideological agenda, requiring ideological compliance from its members.

Detailed Explanation

The case describes Birmingham Business School's three-year project to 'decolonize' its curriculum, research, and operations. This initiative is framed as a move from theory to practice, aiming to identify and dismantle manifestations of colonialism within the school's structures and practices. The project's objective is to 'fundamentally changing systems,' indicating a significant reorientation of the institution's core functions and principles. The methods employed, such as 'fostering conversations, creating space for discomfort, acknowledging context, employing creativity and co-creation,' suggest a process designed to embed a particular ideological perspective. This aligns with the concept of Policy Reengineering, where institutional policies and practices are rewritten to reflect an 'oppressor versus oppressed worldview,' in this case, through the lens of decolonization. Furthermore, the emphasis on co-production with staff and students and the goal of moving beyond 'performative statements' points towards a drive for Corporate Ideological Compliance, where individuals are expected to engage with and adopt the institution's evolving ideological framework. The project's aim to address 'legacies of colonialism' and advocate for a 'continuous, reflexive, and collaborative approach' signifies a sustained effort to reshape the institution's moral and operational charter according to a specific ideology, rather than maintaining neutrality or established academic norms.

Justification

This case demonstrates Oppressionism through the 'decolonization' project at Birmingham Business School. The initiative seeks to fundamentally transform institutional systems and practices by addressing perceived colonial legacies. This involves re-engineering policies and operations ('PolicyReengineering') to align with a specific ideological framework, rather than maintaining neutral or established academic practices. The emphasis on 'conversations, embracing discomfort, contextual understanding, creativity, and co-production with staff and students' suggests a process that aims for ideological compliance ('CorporateIdeologicalCompliance') by requiring participants to engage with and adopt new perspectives on colonialism and its impact on business education. The project's goal of 'fundamentally changing systems' and moving beyond 'performative statements' indicates a deep-seated ideological reorientation of the institution.

Effects

The project aimed to fundamentally change institutional systems and practices, moving beyond mere integration of diverse groups. It highlights the importance of involving academic staff, students, professional services, and external partners in decolonizing research culture, business education, and the school's operational running. The approach is described as continuous, reflexive, and collaborative, recognizing decolonization as an ongoing journey.