ABSTRACT
Decolonization has emerged as a sociopolitical movement in response to the embedded and ongoing practices of coloniality within the modern state. However, the notion of decolonization remains rather contested, particularly within education. A significant absence of decolonization within the STEM literature has been noted. The purpose of this chapter is to explore how decolonization is conceptualized within the engineering education literature. We discuss the varied meanings of decolonization and identify four categories. Drivers for, and barriers to, engaging in decolonial work within engineering education are considered, and recommendations made. Decolonization requires a fundamental shift in thinking about whose knowledges and belief systems are accessed and how knowledge is acquired and shared. It challenges the notion of objectivity, the purposes and practices in engineering, and the perpetuation of the status quo. It requires centering Indigenous and non-Western methodologies, pedagogies, and practices alongside Western engineering methods, education, and research. Understandings and inclusions of Indigenous and non-Western epistemic, ontological, and axiological worldviews are needed to further drive genuine decolonization in engineering education and research.
