Introduction
This fact sheet has been created by Intertwine to support their sessions on colonial assumptions in not-for-profits, for-purpose organisations and progressive movements.
We often hear people talking about working in decolonising ways — but what does that mean in practice? How does settler privilege and the assumptions of white Western business concepts shape how our organisations are structured and operate?
If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together. — Gangalu activist, artist & academic Lilla Watson
Decolonisation is not a Metaphor
Decolonisation involves challenging the ongoing colonialism and colonial mentalities that permeate institutions and systems of government. The following are four key practices associated with decolonisation.
1. Exercising Critical Reflexivity
This practice encourages self-awareness and critical examination of our own assumptions, biases, and perspectives. It involves questioning dominant narratives and reflecting on how colonial legacies shape our thinking and actions.
2. Reciprocity and Respect for Self-determination
Decolonisation emphasises respectful engagement with Indigenous communities. It involves recognising their sovereignty, land rights, and self-determination. Building reciprocal relationships and honouring Indigenous knowledge systems are essential aspects.
3. Embracing “Other(ed)” Ways of Knowing
Decolonisation challenges Eurocentric knowledge paradigms. It invites us to value and learn from diverse ways of knowing, including Indigenous, oral, and experiential knowledge. This practice disrupts the dominance of Western epistemologies.
4. Embodying a Transformative Praxis
Decolonisation is not merely theoretical; it requires action. Transformative praxis involves actively dismantling colonial structures, advocating for justice, and supporting Indigenous-led initiatives. It’s about creating meaningful change in policies, education, and everyday practices.
Colonial Assumptions are Pervasive
Colonial standards sit in opposition to the traditions, cultures, and ways of life of First Peoples. This is especially true for this country and other countries like the United States and Canada — where Eurocentric standards are a direct result of historic and ongoing colonisation.
In the Workplace
White traditions, attitudes and ways of life are upheld in systems like the Eurocentric standards of beauty and dress, or the heterosexual nuclear family, in our schools where white history is predominantly taught, in the JudeaoChristian legal system and European Christianity and Christian holidays being the norm despite Australia being a ‘secular’ country.
Whiteness places an emphasis on the individual over the whole, encouraging rigid self-reliance versus seeking connection in community, and has particular attitudes towards ageing and disability.
Language and communication are also used as tools to uphold ‘whiteness’; where someone speaking in ‘proper English’ or the ‘Queen’s English’ is seen to be more intelligent, or how we aren’t encouraged to talk about our emotions and to avoid conflict or intimacy. We see whiteness upheld in the LGBTIQ+ community in the language around sexuality and gender. The language and terms we use are largely colonial and often erase the unique identities and expressions of gender and sexuality from non-white cultures. We also see this in the place names our organisations use — e.g. Melbourne vs. Naarm.
Within Your Organisation
Colonial assumptions show up in all areas of mainstream workplaces across so-called Australia. Think about h w colonial assumptions might be embedded in the standards at your organisation relating to:
- Time
- Clothing
- Meetings
- Hierarchies
- Holidays
- Business language
- Place names
- Appropriate topics
- Leave allowance
Questions to Consider
- How might you do things differently?
- What are the next steps for your organisation in decolonising?
- What feelings or emotions are you feeling right now in response to this activity?
- Why might you be feeling this way?
I want to experience the solidarity of allied actions that refuse fantastical narratives of commonality and hope. — Kyle Powys Whyte
Access Resource
Unpacking Colonial Assumptions Fact Sheet
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs CC BY-NC-ND