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  5. Decolonizing Economics: A Guide to Theory and Practice
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Decolonizing Economics: A Guide to Theory and Practice

Paper Session

Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM (EST)

Hosted By: Union for Radical Political Economics
  • Chair: Ingrid Kvangraven, University of York

The Decolonization and Diversity Agenda

Devika Dutt
,
University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Abstract

While Economics has been Western-centric and dominated by white men for a long time, the field’s biases have only recently come to the attention of the mainstream media and the field’s institutions have only just started to address the problem openly. In the more conservative corners of the field, you will hear the issue referred to as an issue of “diversity”. In the more radical corners, you will find calls to “decolonize” and to challenge imperialist and patriarchal institutions. Within this context, the chapter delves into the difference between Decolonization and identity racism, which is central for understanding the complexity of the issue. The chapter also engages with the question of why increasing diversity is often presented as an indispensable part of the project to decolonize economics, despite the fact that it is simultaneously considered insufficient. Reasons discussed are social justice perspectives and the perspective of promoting open, democratic and relevant knowledge production, as marginalized groups are more likely to bring in viewpoints that would otherwise be absent or undervalued.

The Colonization of Economics

Carolina Alves
,
University of Cambridge

Abstract

This chapter investigates how Economics is shaped by the historical and political context in which it developed. Four core aspects of this development are tackled: 1) the relationship between the Economics field and the development of capitalism, 2) the distorted view of the history of economics that comes from the prevalent, biased reading of the history of economic thought, 3) how Economics further narrowed to a fairly monolithic discipline during the Cold War, and how this, in turn, relates to Euro-centrism, and 4) the ways in which the biases of the field persist through pedagogy, academic gate-keeping, the media and through the hegemony of mainstream economic ideas in policy institutions. As a part of this, the chapter also discusses briefly how the current situation has real-world implications.

What Gets Lost in a Eurocentric Understanding of Economics? Insights from a Decolonized Economics

Surbhi Kesar
,
Azim Premji University

Abstract

Decolonizing economics is about breaking the hegemony of the West in the process of knowledge production, and creating an academic space where theories grounded in non-Western thought are acknowledged as useful starting points. In this context, this chapter discusses important debates in Economics and presents interventions made by non-Western scholars that have been neglected. It revisits several alternative theories that inform central debates in economics, including on growth, labour, trade, and rationality, and demonstrates how the scholarship enriches contemporary debates on these topics. These are crucial insights for heterodox economists, as well as economists in the mainstream. Furthermore, the chapter demonstrates how postcolonial theory offers a fruitful critique of many heterodox theories, with a particular focus on the subfield of Development Economics.

Decolonizing Research and Pedagogy: A Practical Proposal

Ingrid Kvangraven
,
University of York

Abstract

This chapter is a guide for teachers and researchers who want to contribute to decolonizing economics and academia more broadly. Firstly, in terms of pedagogy, the chapter builds on Bell Hook’s argument that “the classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the academy”. Five core strategies for decolonizing economic pedagogy are outlined and survey data on heterodox economists’ engagement with the decolonization agenda is presented. Secondly, the chapter provides an overview of a series of other efforts that have been made to decolonize Economics across the globe, including initiatives aimed at creating a more diverse environment in economics by reforming top academic journals through promoting more diverse editorial boards, by promoting more inclusive recruitment and promotion practices, and crucially by supporting and strengthening non-Western institutions. Finally, the chapter discusses what it means for heterodox economists to engage with the agenda to decolonize the university more broadly.
JEL Classifications
  • A2 - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics
  • B5 - Current Heterodox Approaches