Encountering the postcolonial in academia

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to problematize dominant discourses of diversity in academia that are constructed with Eurocentric ideals that demand assimilation with Western expectations and norms that, in one way or another, maintain the status quo. In doing so, the authors theorize transnational diversity in academia by looking back at their own experiences as postcolonial students and teachers.

Design/methodology/approach

Autoethnography is used as a writing method. The authors use autoethnography to intellectualize their experiences and connect everyday life to the immediate and larger cultural, political and social contexts to reflect on how they navigate their postcolonial identities and negotiate(d) the diversity they bring into academia.

Findings

The authors’ narratives present acceptance, acculturation, assimilation and rejection encompassing trauma and resistance that suggest that the dominant approach to diversity is not necessarily pluralistic, and require a re-organization.

Research limitations/implications

The authors’ narratives present acceptance, acculturation, assimilation and rejection encompassing trauma and resistance that suggest that the dominant approach to diversity is not necessarily pluralistic, and requires a re-organization.

Originality/value

The authors theorize transnational diversity as an alternative to the dominant approach to diversity. Transnational diversity attempts to expand the discourse of diversity in academia, and create a space for other cultural, intellectual and institutional legacies to be included and recognized.

Citation

D’Souza, R.A. and Pal, M. (2018), "Encountering the postcolonial in academia", Journal of Organizational Ethnography, Vol. 7 No. 3, pp. 361-372. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOE-10-2017-0046