Efforts to decolonise political thought have often been misrepresented in the media as demands to remove white thinkers from the curriculum. In practice, decolonisation has instead entailed a variety of strategies, including: expanding the geographical and intellectual reach of the study of political thought to include a wider range of regions, cultures, and thinkers; challenging and diversifying the traditional canon of political thinkers; acknowledging and interrogating the impact of colonialism on global institutions, relations between states, and dominant theories and concepts; and recognising and developing alternative models and methods of knowledge production. Such efforts have in recent years gained increasing prominence and support. Of all academic disciplines, Political Studies is ripe for decolonisation. It is well placed to explore and challenge the social, political, and ethical significance of colonialism and its legacies and persistence. Yet its concepts, arguments, and theories have been – and arguably still are – used to defend and advance imperialism and patriarchy. Political thought in particular has traditionally been dominated by a canon of white, European and American men.

This webinar aims to reflect on the reasons why and the ways in which political thought might be decolonised. It will draw upon the recent publication of their new textbook Rethinking Political Thinkers (OUP, 2023), which asks students to rethink and reimagine the study of political thought by listening to and engaging with voices that have been typically marginalised and excluded. In this interactive webinar, Manjeet Ramgotra and Simon Choat will address a range of substantive, methodological, pedagogical, and disciplinary questions raised by ongoing efforts to decolonise research and teaching in political studies.