Decolonial practices and faculty perceptions within sociology and political science in Irish higher education

Abstract

This paper investigates how Sociology and Political Science, situated in an Irish university, respond to the contemporary push for ‘decolonising the curriculum.’ As decolonial debates still engender mixed reactions and forms of resistance, this study contributes to the body of work seeking to understand how decolonisation works in practice while being the first of its kind within an Irish context. Drawing on analysis of 45 undergraduate module syllabi, lecture observation of 4 first-year modules, and 13 faculty interviews, this paper examines academic practices, curriculum design and faculty perspectives to address how Sociology and Political Science undergraduate programmes within an Irish university perceive and engage with curriculum decolonisation. Findings reveal that neither discipline substantially engages with curriculum decolonisation; barriers to decolonial work include lack of time and support, and perceived epistemic barriers regarding disciplinary applicability to ‘decolonise.’ However, analysis illustrates the importance of individual faculty members and how they interpret barriers to decolonisation. There was stronger evidence of decolonial/critical praxis within political science than sociology, despite perceptions of political science as more resistant, particularly seen through the pedagogical approaches of faculty observed in first-year module lectures. This study therefore highlights the role academics play in decolonial transformation and offers discipline-specific recommendations that address stated barriers to integrate decolonial praxis. This research further demonstrates the value of observational methods within higher education settings when seeking to understand the micro dynamics of critical pedagogical practices.