Kashmir Kaur (SFHEA) is Associate Professor of English for Academic Purposes at the University of Leeds. She leads in-sessional EAP provision and collaborates on international COIL and AI education projects. Her interests include decoloniality, critical EAP, multilingualism, dialogic feedback and digital literacies.

 

‘Decoloniality’ and ‘decolonising’

Since decoloniality and decolonising entered the language education lexicon, many teachers have been left wondering what they mean in practice. In this article, I use decoloniality broadly to refer to recognising and challenging the continuing influence of colonial histories on whose languages, knowledge and ways of communicating are valued and decolonising to refer to practical processes for addressing these influences. For some, it feels political, abstract or disconnected from classroom realities. Others may equate it with Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), a rejection of English, a jettisoning of academic standards or all three. These assumptions can obscure a useful question: what might decoloniality look like in language education?

 

What decoloniality is not

 

Myth 1: Decoloniality means EDI

One of the most common misconceptions is that decoloniality is synonymous with EDI. While overlaps exist, decolonial work asks broader questions about power, legitimacy and structural assumptions rather than symbolic inclusion alone (Tuck & Yang, 2012).

 

 

Myth 2: Decoloniality means rejecting English or standards

Another persistent misconception is that decoloniality in language education means rejecting English or abandoning academic conventions. This is not the case.

Rather than ask teachers or students to stop using English, a decolonial perspective invites us to recognise that language is not neutral. English, particularly in academic and global contexts, carries histories shaped by colonialism, imperialism and unequal relations of power.

As scholars such as Canagarajah (2002) have argued, language practices are closely bound to questions of power, legitimacy and voice. Certain ways of speaking, writing and communicating often come to be viewed as more legitimate, authoritative or ‘correct’ than others. For language teachers, this does not mean discarding institutional expectations or disciplinary conventions. It means making these expectations more visible. Rather than presenting academic language as simply “the way things are done”, we can invite students to understand where particular norms come from, whose language practices tend to be privileged and why certain forms are rewarded in particular contexts.

The aim is not to reject norms, but to make them visible, transparent and open to reflection so that students are better equipped to understand, navigate and critically engage with them.

 

Myth 3: Decoloniality is a checklist
Decoloniality is sometimes approached as though it were a checklist, as though it could simply be achieved by diversifying a reading list, adding diverse voices or revising a school policy. However, decoloniality is better understood as an ongoing process of reflection, questioning and adaptation rather than a fixed destination. In language education, this means remaining attentive to whose knowledge, language practices and assumptions are privileged and recognising that these questions do not disappear once a curriculum change has been made.

Contexts evolve, students change and institutional practices shift. For teachers, this is less about finding perfect answers and more about maintaining a reflective stance: revisiting classroom practices, questioning assumptions and remaining open to new knowledge and ways of communicating. The aim is not to ‘complete’ decoloniality, but to keep asking critical questions about what is taught, valued and legitimised.

 

What it might mean in practice

In presenting at TESOL France in November 2025, I was struck by how quickly discussion moved from uncertainty to practice: What would this look like in everyday teaching? 

 

Whose English becomes legitimised?

One practical starting point to turn decoloniality from an intellectual notion into action in the classroom is to make language norms visible rather than implicit. Instead of presenting conventions as simply “good English” or “how academic writing is done”, teachers can discuss why particular forms are valued and what purposes they serve. For instance, comparing texts from different disciplinary contexts, discussing stance or voice, and making audience expectations explicit can help students understand that conventions are socially situated rather than neutral.

Another example lies in ongoing efforts by teachers to analyse with their students examples of different variants of English, rather than focus on idealised ‘native speaker’ models. This can lead into a discussion on accent bias and prestige, and open reflection on notions of language being ‘appropriate’, ‘professional’ and ‘correct’.

 

Making space for multilingual identity

Teachers can also introduce decoloniality into the classroom by recognising students’ linguistic repertoires as valuable resources rather than baggage. This attitude has long been encouraged in multilingual approaches to language learning (Canagarajah, 2013). By for instance allowing students to brainstorm or discuss in other languages, teachers encourage comparisons of concepts across languages and invite students to reflect on linguistic identity. Multilingual experience can be normalised this way.

Teachers can also ask students to pre-write or make notes in their first language before drafting a text in English. They might also relate that many multilingual writers describe tension between clarity, identity and sounding ‘academic’, validating feelings that may be shared by their students.

Feedback as dialogue

Evaluation and feedback in language classes can benefit from a decolonial perspective. Students still need to understand and meet institutional expectations, but teachers can make clear that grading criteria reflect academic conventions, not universal standards. This helps students navigate those expectations while thinking critically about them.

When it comes to providing feedback, researchers increasingly favour dialogue and student agency over the one-way language corrections of the past (Carless, 2015). In subtle ways, dialogue can help students understand, negotiate and make choices with the language they learn, rather than simply reproduce academic conventions. For example, the principles of decoloniality encourage teachers to go beyond telling students a contribution is “wrong”, and to ask them instead: What were you trying to achieve here? Could you say more about why you made this choice? Does this wording give your intended meaning? Where do you feel your voice is strongest here?

In written feedback, teachers can likewise support their students with feedback such as “This wording creates a conversational tone. Was that intentional? How might it be interpreted in this disciplinary context?” rather than leaving students to grapple with a cursory “Too informal”. The goal is not to reject norms, but to make them discussable, negotiable and transparent.

 

 

Conclusion

Decoloniality in language education is less about finding definitive answers and more about learning to ask questions. Rather than rejecting English, abandoning conventions or seeking perfect solutions, it invites teachers and learners to make visible what is too often left ignored: whose knowledge is valued, whose language practices are legitimised and whose voices remain at the margins.

This does not necessarily imply radical transformation. Language teachers can begin with small acts of reflection by making norms explicit, creating space for dialogue and recognising the multilingual resources students already bring to the classroom. The goal is not to do away with academic expectations, but to make them transparent and open to critical engagement.

Perhaps the question is not whether decoloniality belongs in language education, but what becomes possible when we begin to notice what has long been taken for granted.

 

Questions for Reflection

Why not take a self-audit by reflecting on whose knowledge counts? Think of 2–3 sources you rely on regularly as core texts - books, reports, traditions or experts - and consider the following:

• Where do they come from geographically?
• Whose perspectives are centred?
• Whose voices are absent/invisible?
• What patterns do you notice?
• How might your teaching change if it drew on a wider range of knowledge and perspectives?

 

 

References

Canagarajah, A. S. (2002). A geopolitics of academic writing (Vol. 163). University of Pittsburgh Press.

Canagarajah, S. (2012). Translingual practice: Global Englishes and cosmopolitan relations. Routledge.

Carless, D. (2015). Excellence in university assessment: Learning from award-winning practice. Routledge.

Tuck, E., & Yang, K. W. (2012). Decolonization is not a metaphor. Decolonization: Indigeneity, education & society, 1(1), 1-40.

 

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