Decolonization and global health research: initiating an African centred exchange

This award will support a series of interactions between academics from diverse backgrounds with a shared interest in mapping, analyzing and critically unpacking decolonization debates in global health research. Decolonization discussions and activism have become far more prominent over the last year, bringing both opportunities for positive transformation (through disruption, change and renewed interest in global power inequities) as well as challenges (including the 'trending' of the decolonization agenda leading to - at worst - the 'colonization' of the arena itself). Now, as much as ever, decolonization discussions and debates need to be critically examined. We will organize a set of exchanges and activities to: 1 Unpack and reflect upon the term 'global health research' using a decolonization lens; 2 Examine how tacit, or embedded, forms of knowledge from Africa are drawn upon and feature in global health research; 3 Imagine what a decolonized or African-centred, and ethical, research initiative in global health might look like; and 4 Share our learning, advocate for change, and identify an African home for future work. We will incorporate a covid-19 research lens, but only in recognition that covid-19 will shine a light upon or amplify far longer and deeper policies and processes.