Reclaiming the indigenous knowledge(s): English curriculum through ‘Decoloniality’ lens

Abstract

ABSTRACT When government announced removal of the Goodbye Mr. Chips from intermediate-level English textbooks in one of the provinces of Pakistan, the public and media response was overwhelming. Students in particular took a sigh of relief because many believed it was a boring story by a foreign author, depicting a foreign setting. Drawing on this development as a reference point, this article examines the perspectives of students and teachers about the teaching of English literature in part of Pakistan. The method used combines semi-structured interviews with a questionnaire survey. Using Coloniality and Decoloniality as conceptual frames, the paper discusses the significance of participants’ perspectives at theoretical, ideological and implementational levels. Findings suggest a paradigmatic shift from the Anglo-normativity. Participants call for an overhaul of the current English literature-dominated curriculum. Their alternative paradigm is more pluralist, which should: reclaim the indigenous/local knowledge, be firmly grounded in students’ sociocultural ecologies, and take into consideration students’ cognitive engagement and identity investment. We interpret their reflective agency as a significant epistemic break from the normative deterministic logic of the unassailable position of English, and their voices as robust intellectual tools. Symbolically, these voices seek to liberate academia from the yoke of coloniality.