What is Decoloniality?
It is a way for us to re-learn knowledge that has been cast aside, forgotten, buried, and discredited. Decoloniality is not a singular thing. It seeks to restore, elevate, renew, rediscover, and validate the multiplicity of lives, culture and knowledge of indigenous people, people of colour and colonised people to decenter cis- heteronormativity, gender, class and racial privilege.
It is not just about where you’re from, but what stories, ideas, and narratives you have that challenge mainstream ideas, fuelled by Western knowledge.
Why Decoloniality?
Western culture refers to social norms, knowledge, values, customs, economic and political systems of the West. Western values and knowledge forms have come to dominate spaces globally due to colonial histories and power structures. These processes normalised the dominance of Western modernity over the Global South in general.
We want to change that.
The Western ideal of a neoliberal, capitalist-driven world does not work. We want to hear from people who have alternatives and view the world differently. Believing the world we currently live in is transformable.
Who gets to be Decolonial?
Anyone can be decolonial. Your ability to have a decolonial approach is not dependent on your skin colour, gender, sexuality or class. Instead, all that’s needed is a desire to challenge mainstream ideas that mainly stem from the West.
It is about appreciating and interacting with the knowledge that has been pushed aside, forgotten or discredited by the forces of modernity, settler colonialism, and racial capitalism.
The content we are looking for
We want relatable and digestible decolonial content that informs readers whilst keeping them engaged.
We are not fussed about writing or referencing styles but expect all work submitted to have the necessary references, whether hyperlinks, footnotes, or citations.
We accept all kinds of content for our culture page. This includes articles covering topics like climate change, feminism, democracy, and religion, political write-ups, art or film reviews and opinion pieces.
The important thing is that the content remains informative and easy to understand, especially when tackling heavier subjects. This does not mean having to be too informal; just ensure your writing is clear and concise.
We want a diverse page, so don't be scared that your interests are too niche. You have something to say? We want to hear it!
How to submit
It must be a word document so that it can be edited. Send it as an attachment to the email, not in the email itself.
The word limit is 1500 words. Longer submissions will only be considered in special circumstances; kindly email us if you have any concerns.
Lines should be double-spaced, and pages numbered.
The work's title should also be included in the document, although this may be altered.
If you want to be named author, include your full name and an optional 20–30-word bio on yourself.
Include any images, videos, songs and clips you want to be included in the email. Be careful around copyrighted pictures.
Please send all contributions to: admin@decolonialthoughts.com with the title 'Submission for the Culture Page'. We accept submissions for this page on a rolling basis.
Editing
We will edit your work; it is part of the process. However, it is a process you will be a part of to ensure the meaning of your work is not lost.
Payment
We currently do not pay for unsolicited submissions but will provide a platform for your work to be appreciated. If you do get published, please share your work widely. The more you share it, the more traffic it will get.