KM4Dev Knowledge Cafè 16: Decolonisation of knowledge action plan, 20 May 2021

RealKM Magazine is pleased to support and participate in a very important Knowledge Management for Development (KM4Dev) Knowledge Cafè 16 on 20 May 2021 that will contribute to the development of an action plan for the decolonisation of knowledge.

Knowledge Cafè 16 will focus on Asia, Australasia, and the Middle East, following on from Knowledge Cafè 15 which engaged other time zones.

In Knowledge Cafè 16, I’ll be highlighting the need to consider narrative disruption as a critical aspect of decolonising knowledge.

What is meant by “the decolonisation of knowledge”?

As KM4Dev advises:

Decolonizing knowledge is a political project, initially started in academia to challenge what is perceived to be the hegemonic control over knowledge production and sharing by the western hemisphere. It positions indigenous [and traditional and local] knowledge systems as equal in importance to the US-Euro-centric models and approaches. Today, decolonizing knowledge has become an umbrella term to encompass all the challenges posed to the current system of knowledge production, flow, and use. For the field of knowledge management [the aim of] decolonization is to make the field more diverse, plural, and inclusive.

I first raised concerns about the global knowledge imbalance, including in regard to knowledge about knowledge management (KM), in an August 2018 article. Then, in a December 2019 article, I called on the KM community to play a more active role in progressing the decolonisation of knowledge and KM.

In the time since, I’ve continued to advocate for the decolonisation of knowledge, including presenting in KM4Dev Knowledge Cafè 7 and publishing an ongoing article series.

Also published on Medium.