Seeing the Unseen: Identifying and Unlearning Colonial Paradigms in Higher Education

Unlearning is the first step in decolonizing work. However, colonial structures are often invisible to those who uphold them. We cannot begin to unlearn colonial paradigms if we cannot identify them in the first place. In this talk, Amanda Lee Savage will share how her lived experiences as both colonizer and colonized inform her work on decolonization and indigenization. We will examine the implicit and explicit ways colonialism is supported and maintained in higher education and the steps educators can take to dismantle it, allowing for more authentic and engaged learning.

Savage will be offering a workshop, Decolonizing Your Syllabus, later in the day.

About

Amanda Lee Keikialoha Savage (she/her) teaches history at the University of Memphis and is an academic advisor for history majors. She is both kanaka maoli (Native Hawaiian) and haole (white of European descent), and much of her community work involves straddling that line. She co-founded Native RITES, a small indigenous-led organization supporting the education, political organization, and sovereign rights of Native peoples in the Mid-South. She works with community organizations and academic institutions to help people understand how colonialism informs their pedagogy and worldviews and how to begin the lifelong process of decolonization.