ABSTRACT
Although colonialism has largely ended, postcolonial effects still play a role in the contemporary globalised world. Apart from economic and political relations, cultural, religious and educational orientations have been coloured by colonialism to an extent that attempts of decolonisation in recent years have paved the way for also the academic world to deconstruct previously acknowledged knowledge regimes and to present alternative ways of theoretical understanding and practical change. This chapter outlines elements of colonialism and decolonisation, including the topics of cultural appropriation. It will introduce some of the aspects of a ‘decolonial turn’ in academia and the different impacts it has had in different scholarly fields, contextualised in its relations to both postcolonial theory and ways in which identity has come to play a significant role both in cultural orientations, in activist movements and in the academia. It is claimed that the emphasis on identity categories is inherent in much decolonial ideology triggered not least by post-global orientations. It is furthermore asserted, that the decolonial complex with deconstruction, reconstruction and activism is particularly challenging to the study of religion.
