Learning and teaching
Decolonisation in theory and practice: Reading and resources
The readings and resources below provide a critical foundation from which to approach decolonisation within higher education (HE).
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Whether you are new to decolonising work, unsure about its relevance to your field or already deeply invested, there is always scope for developing a deeper understanding of the key concepts, texts, debates and politics of decolonisation.
Although far from exhaustive, the readings and resources listed below provide a critical foundation from which to approach decolonisation within and beyond the context of higher education.
So far, we have focused on online resources, books and special issues, rather than individual journal articles. However, these pages are being continually developed and updated, and will also include discipline-specific recommendations in time.
Please note that texts are currently listed alphabetically by authors' or editors' first names and organised into loose thematic groupings. Some texts and authors will therefore appear in multiple sections or subsections, whilst others may be found in unexpected places, reflecting the unbounded nature of their ideas and of knowledge more broadly.
Download the list in full: Decolonisation - Recommended reading and resources (PDF, 0.5MB)
York St John staff and students can also access some of the texts on our dedicated Library reading list, or explore them in more depth by joining our Discussing Decolonisation Reading Group.
If you would like to recommend any readings or resources, please follow the link under 'Get Involved', below.
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Book of the Month
To Cook a Continent: Destructive Extraction and the Climate Crisis in Africa
By Nnimmo Bassey (Pambazuka Press, 2011)
This book looks at what has been done to Africa and how Africans should respond for the good of all. Bassey examines the oil industry in Africa, probes the roots of global warming and the climate crisis, warns of its insidious impacts and explores false 'solutions'. Crucially, his intelligent and wide-ranging approach demonstrates that the issues around natural resource exploitation, corporate profiteering and climate change must be considered together if we are to save ourselves. What can Africa do? And can the rest of the world act in solidarity? If not, will we continue on the path laid out by elites that brings us ever closer to the brink? Many live in denial even as ecological and social disasters increase, but this is not inevitable and Bassey suggests how Africa can overcome the crises of environment and global warming.
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Film of the Month
Hope is a Word
Directed by Maria Galliani Dyrvik (Smau Media) 2026, 82 mins
In Nigeria's Niger Delta, where oil extraction has poisoned the land for decades, poet and activist Nnimmo Bassey nurtures a new generation of writers to fight back.
Poet and activist Nnimmo Bassey has spent his life fighting the devastating effects of oil extraction in the Niger Delta, where decades of spills and gas flaring have poisoned the land and its people, and brought violence and division. Now, seeing a generation full of fear and hope growing up in the aftermath, he wonders: who will carry on the struggle? Inspired by his mentor Ken Saro-Wiwa, Ogoni writer and activist executed by the Nigerian State in 1995, Nnimmo invites a group of young activists to write with him. Among them are Barinedum, a writer from the heavily polluted Ogoni region, as well as Odudu, a strong-minded songwriter, and Nnimmo's own son, Ukpono, a young rapper. In the safe space of Nnimmo's workshops, poetry becomes a way to heal and a weapon for change. Over time, the young poets take full ownership of the struggle: Ukpono finds his voice through rap, and inspires others to sing with him; Odudu writes to find reasons to stay and fight in the face of unchanging hopelessness; Barinedum encourages her people to reclaim their voice through poetry. Together, the group breathes new fire into a decades-old struggle, reigniting the movement for justice and demanding a different future for the Niger Delta.
Production:
Production company: Smau media, in collaboration with: Ginko Film, Zuri24media
Writer and director: Maria Galliani Dyrvik
Executive producer: Anita Vedå
Languages: English, Pidgin, Gokana, Tai (with English subtitles)
Hope is a Word premiered at Sheffield Documentary Film Festival in June 2026 and is currently touring internationally; keep a look out for screenings at local film festivals and/or other events! A special screening was held at York St John University on Friday 30th October as part of the Discussing Decolonisation series, and marking the end of Black History Month 2026.
To find out more about where you can watch Hope is a Word see Eventbrite.
Decolonisation in world history, theory and politics
Decolonisation in higher education
Exploring decolonisation through media and culture
Get involved
Recommend a text
If you have any readings or resources that you think should be added to the list, please complete our short form below to share your recommendations.
Join our reading group
York St John staff and students can also explore and discuss some of the key texts below by joining our Discussing Decolonisation Reading Group.
Attend an event
Attend an event in our Discussing Decolonisation public event series, hosted by the Teaching and Learning Enhancement team.
