The politics of university curriculum decolonising in neoliberalised higher education: A semi-systematic literature review

Abstract

This article critically reports insights from my semi-systematic review of university curriculum decolonising (UCD) literature conducted in English and Portuguese between 2023 and 2026. The semi-systematic approach allowed to combine systematic search of the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection (WoS) databases, with purposive search to further trace specific themes. The analysis adopted a politics of UCD approach, drawing from two strands of thought: geopolitics of knowledge and politics of education. Thus framed, two broad themes are discussed: globally shared theoretico-conceptual referents of UCD and particular, marginalised themes and contestations; and differently scaled options, actorness and constraints in/for UCD praxis generated by individuals’ and universities’ embeddedness within the global structure of coloniality, reinforced by the neoliberalisation of higher education. The conclusion elicits elements in/for future scholar-activist UCD research and praxis.