Universities are sources of knowledge. Scholars research, publish and teach. In this way, for centuries, they have contributed to how we see (or can see) the world, ourselves and others. However, as Kolman and Tembo will point out in their panel, this academic knowledge has also contributed to the generation of, among other things, colonialism, racism and sexism. “And, to this day, this creates painful situations, both inside and outside universities.”
“Within the academic community – as in the rest of the Netherlands – there’s a reluctance to acknowledge the colonial past and to take responsibility for our own role in the painful and violent histories that still leave their mark”, say Tembo and Kolman. Ugly sides of the past are not considered in the academic heritage, leading to an unrealistically positive image of the history of science.
Kolman and Tembo illustrated this in an article submitted to Voxweb last year, in which they responded to a proposal to rename the Linnaeus building. “In naming the building after Linnaeus, only his scientific merits were considered. But that’s only one side of the story: with his hierarchical classification of human groups, Linnaeus laid the foundation for the racist ideas of later thinkers and provided scientific legitimacy for colonial violence.”
Bound by a single perspective
“The name of a building is one thing, but it’s also about what knowledge we gain in those buildings and which stories we tell”, Tembo emphasises. “Take a course that discusses modern trade structures: also explain that these structures have their origins in a colonial context. Or include the world views that philosopher Immanuel Kant held when you discuss how he arrived at his ideas.”
Kolman recognises this one-sided view from her experiences studying political science. “When we talked about democracy, for example, we often assumed one form of democracy, ignoring all kinds of democratic variants.” During her studies in Cape Town, she also discovered how difficult it can be to move beyond a Western perspective. “History as a discipline, for example, has been shaped from a Western perspective. We often start South African history at the arrival of the Dutch. In Cape Town, people are working hard to document the rich knowledge and stories from the pre-colonial period. The fact that we refer to this entire time as ‘pre-colonial’ illustrates the extent to which we are bound by a single perspective.”
Healing together
Kolman and Tembo think it is high time that universities critically examine and acknowledge their heritage to create space for a more realistic image of the past. During their Heritage and Healing panel, they will open the doors that can lead to this more realistic image. Kolman: “People will also have the opportunity to tell their own stories.” Tembo adds: “There are so many ways of living in this world, and all these stories are worth telling. We need to move away from telling stories about others and towards the joint creation of multiple forms of knowledge.”
The panel, and in fact the entire Anti-Racism Awareness Week, are part of a healing process, Kolman and Tembo explain. “This process can take years, even generations, but if the university values diversity, equity and inclusion on campus as much as it says it does, it can certainly use its power to accelerate this process”, Tembo argues. Kolman adds: “It’s great that the Executive Board is also participating in Anti-Racism Awareness Week, but real steps will only be made if they also take action. Ultimately, it’s about paying structural attention to the content of research and lectures, and to the status of students and employees, both academic and non-academic.”
Photo: Dick van Aalst.