Decolonial writing workshop seeks to examine inequalities in knowledge production

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Workshop attendees in Indonesia.

Decolonial writing workshop hosted by Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII), brought together scholars and participants to examine the deeply rooted inequalities in knowledge production. 

As part of a global initiative funded by the British Academy (UK), the workshop (14-15 January 2025) aimed to equip early-career scholars with the skills to navigate and challenge academic structures that often marginalise voices from the Global South. 

Led by Dr Leon Moosavi, expert in decolonial methodologies from the Department of Sociology, Social Policy, and Criminology, and in partnership with Professor Camila Prando, University of Brasilia, and Professor Nina Nurmila, UIII, the event aimed to share experiences and insights to equip early-career scholars with the tools needed to navigate academic writing and publishing successfully. 

Speaking of the workshop structure, Dr Leon Moosavi said: "We're working to unsettle the colonial injustices and historical inequalities by first acknowledging their continued presence. Additionally, we are deliberately focussing on scholars from the Global South, who often lack the same opportunities available to their counterparts in the Global North. The project also incorporates a gender dimension, as all the participants are women". 

The workshop featured intensive sessions designed to enhance academic writing and publishing skills while encouraging participants to critique and reshape the structures of knowledge production. 

"We'll encourage them [the participants] to share the knowledge and insights with other people. Maybe they will organise their own workshops. We hope it will have a knock-on effect in other parts of Indonesia and the broader Indonesian academic community," said Dr Moosavi.