# Decolonising against a backdrop of colonial amnesia: barriers, challenges, and finding a way forward

## TL;DR

This paper discusses how colonial amnesia persists in UK institutions and explores barriers to decolonisation through personal and structural analysis.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a dual praxis for decolonisation, combining structural change with personal introspection through autoethnographic narratives.

## Key findings

- Colonial amnesia is perpetuated through epistemic violence and historical erasure in educational and cultural contexts.
- Autoethnographic vignettes reveal the emotional and structural challenges of decolonisation.
- A dual approach of structural transformation and personal reclamation is essential for meaningful decolonisation.

## Abstract

This paper, originally delivered as a keynote at De Montfort University, interrogates the persistence of colonial amnesia within educational, institutional, and cultural contexts in the UK. Through an autoethnographic lens, it explores both structural and embodied barriers to meaningful decolonisation, drawing attention to the epistemic violence of historical erasure alongside the deeply personal labour of self-decolonisation. Combining conceptual critique with situated narrative, the paper presents three autoethnographic vignettes that examine naming, diasporic dissonance, and joy as a mode of refusal. It argues for a dual praxis that foregrounds structural transformation while simultaneously centring introspective reclamation. The analysis ultimately underscores the need for healing, justice, and historical redress within ongoing struggles for equity and recognition.