The group thinks about how to introduce a module for extracurricular activities (SI/EA) around decolonial perspectives and practices, similar to GeStiK's certificate. They can build on the previous work of the Co-Teaching group; the current goal is to write a proposal.

Sara Zavaree: szavaree[at]uni-koeln.de

The group contacts and builds ties to community initiatives in Cologne and the region to think about possible collaborations.

Stephanie Zeiler: szeiler[at]smail.uni-koeln.de

The group plans and organizes a lecture series for the fall semester 22/23 that highlights colonial histories, legacies, and continuities of various disciplines, as well as historically Eurocentric approaches and perspectives in research and teaching. The series also invites critical perspectives from outside the university, e.g. through the participation of speakers from community initiatives.

Monica van der Haagen-Wulff: m.haagen-wulff[at]uni-koeln.de - please include lecture series in the subject line.

We are an interdisciplinary working group of students and academic staff planning a co-teaching project on decolonization with partner institutions in the Global South. The co-teaching project aims to reveal and contribute to dismantle the interconnectedness of Western universities with persistent postcolonial inequalities in global knowledge production. The project builds on global experiences with digital teaching and plans digital and hybrid teaching formats together with partner institutions.

The topic of „decolonization“ is to be taken up both in terms of content in the individual courses in order to create a common basis of understanding for this concept, and structurally to shape the joint teaching concept.  In this sense, the courses can consist not only of history and postcolonial studies, but also of other disciplines that deal with colonization and contemporary coloniality, as well as with current entanglements, interdependencies, or movements between the Global South and the Global North.

Members of the working group are: PD Dr. Sarah Albiez-Wieck (Department of Iberian and Latin American History / Global South Studies Centre / Mecila), Paulin Baraka Bose (Institute for African Studies and Egyptology, Student Assistant / Master Student), Phyllis Bußler (Department of Economic and Social Geography, Research Assistant / PhD student), Dr. M. Dores Cruz (Institute for African Studies and Egyptology / GSSC, Senior Researcher), Cassandra Gerber (Institute for African Studies and Egyptology, Research Assistant / PhD student), Dr. Tilmann Heil (Maria Sibylla Merian Centre Conviviality-Inequality in Latin America / Department of Iberian and Latin American History / GSSC, Postdoc und Principal Investigator), Karo Kalmbach (Gender Studies, Research Assistant), Dr. Jonathan Ngeh (GSSC, Principal Investigator), Alina Sabransky (Master Student, Gender Studies), Janine Traber (Institute for African Studies and Egyptology, PhD student), Sara Zavaree (Institute for African Studies and Egyptology, Research Assistant / PhD student)

We aim at a long-term establishment of the co-teaching project at the University of Cologne. A pilot phase takes place during the winter term 2021/22. If you are interested in our project or maybe want to join us, you can contact Cassandra Gerber: cgerber5[at]uni-koeln.de

The Reading Circle is our platform to discuss texts that are related in one way or another to colonialism, decolonization, and/or cultural appropriation. So far, some of these have been: "Impure Communities“ by Maria Lugones, "Postcolonial and Decolonial Dialogues“ by Gurminder Bhambra, "Imperial Leather“ by Anne McClintock, or "Ch’ixinakax utxiwa“ by Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui. Drawing inspiration from literary, journalistic, or essayistic texts, we also exchange ideas on more general topics, such as the issue of anti-Semitism in Germany, or the recent debates on academic freedom and cancel culture.

Our meetings take place via zoom and on each second Monday of the month from 12.00 to 14.00 CET. So far, we read and discuss in German and English. If you would like to participate, please contact Janek Scholz: janek.scholz[at]uni-koeln.de

More info to follow