M1 - Learner Manual

1.26. Decolonising Anthropology

References to early colonial attitudes to Aboriginal people have been identified earlier in this learner manual. The movement to decolonise anthropology began in the 1970s. It sought to address anthropology’s role in collecting and taking ownership of Indigenous people’s knowledge and culture and to speak out against anthropological analyses and products that supported colonialism. One aspect of anthropological practice that has been particularly criticized is the tendency to treat First Nations’ people purely as research subjects, without acknowledging their agency or their rights, such as the right to protect their buried ancestors or control their knowledge, stories, and even place names.

https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Anthropology/Introductory_Anthropology/Introduction_to_Anthropology_(OpenStax)/19%3A_Indigenous_Anthropology/19.03%3A_Colonization_and_Anthropology

In her definition of decolonisation, Boles suggests it incorporates the idea of  looking beyond the perspectives harboured by the colonisers and take on board the frames of reference of those who are being researched. She adds that overall, decolonisation is about bringing to light subtle aspects of the process that can be easily missed and that to decolonize anthropology means to recognize and confront the colonial legacies, which have led to the marginalization and exploitation of Indigenous peoples and their knowledge.

 https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/amet.13199