ABSTRACT
Calls for decolonization have become common in educational institutions around the globe. Decolonization, as a buzzword, carries different connotations in different contexts and often multiple connotations within the same context. We begin this chapter by reviewing some of the decolonial critiques that inform our plurivocal engagements with decolonization. Next, we briefly review some of the differences and similarities between calls for decolonization across different geopolitical contexts. We then examine some of the complexities and paradoxes that have emerged in terms of how decolonization is mobilized in practice within the field of education with reference to four commonly-articulated horizons of hope: radically changing the current system from within; replacing the current system with a predefined alternative; ‘hacking’ the current system to widen spaces where alternatives can flourish; and hospicing the current system while midwifing something new that is not-yet-defined. We then consider the implications of calls for decolonization in discussions about globalization.
