What Does It Mean to Decolonise Research and Is It Even Possible?

There are a growing number of scholars who claim to be conducting decolonial research. But what is decolonial research and what are its complexities and limitations? This paper begins with a delineation of the most common features of decolonial research. This involves explaining it’s critique of traditional research, it’s treatment of research participants, and it’s views on the purpose of research. It also involves noting some of the misconceptions about decolonial research and identifying the synergies that decolonial research has with other critical research methodologies. The paper then proceeds to deploy ‘decolonial reflexivity’ as a tool to examine the potential complexities and limitations of decolonial research. Perhaps most significantly, this critique results in a consideration of how some research which claims to be decolonial, may not only fail to dismantle coloniality, but may even reinforce coloniality and Northerncentrism. This is accompanied by a consideration of how we can redeem decolonial research so that we do not have to abandon it entirely. It is argued that this sort of critical interrogation of decolonial research is necessary if we want decolonial research to have a greater chance of achieving its goal of dismantling coloniality. Otherwise, decolonial research may remain a false promise which does not decolonise even whilst claiming it does. Thus, it is argued that, while decolonial research is a worthwhile aspiration, it should be undertaken with cautious self-reflection so as to ensure it generates interventions that are worth celebrating rather than ones that may do more harm than good.