Overview

Welcome to the website for the Decolonise Sociology working group. The group was established on the 31st October 2017 to pursue the decolonisation of the Cambridge Sociology Department. The working group consists of student and faculty members, divided into four subcommittees. The remit of the Decolonise Sociology working group is:

• To collect suggestions and input about practical measures to decolonise the department by:
  • Maintaining a register of feedback about specific areas of concern
  • Recording complaints (including anonymised complaints)
• To implement practical measures to decolonise all aspects of departmental life, including:
  • Teaching, supervisions and exams
  • Classrooms and curricula
  • Other departmental activities
• To assess the suitability and effectiveness of those measures, by:
  • Monitoring and auditing measures
  • Identifying priority measures for change
  • Providing updates on decolonisation efforts, including an annual report
• To represent the department in activities related to decolonisation (at Cambridge and elsewhere)
• To collaborate with other decolonisation initiatives and the wider scholarly community (at Cambridge and elsewhere)

There are currently six areas of focus, which arose from an open meeting hosted at the Sociology department. This working group is just one of many decolonisation initiatives at Cambridge University, which have been covered in local and national news. Do please get in touch if you have any questions or ideas, or if you’d like to write for our blog!