Decolonizing the Bachelor of Social Work Field Education Curriculum in Barbados

To claim that Barbados has been decolonized implies that both its academic landscape and the “minds” of its citizens have been freed from colonial influence. However, Western thought continues to dominate the academic sphere, reflecting the enduring legacy of colonial rule. The curriculum within the field education component of the Bachelor of Social Work programme at The University of The West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados, is providing the tools for social work students to work towards decolonizing their minds from dominant Western ideologies, challenging the colonial mindset that is deeply rooted in students’ psyche. This is critical to both empowering students who in turn will empower the communities in which they practice and communities constrained by the legacies of ongoing coloniality. Exposing students to decolonial theory, indigenous knowledge, anti-oppressive practice, critical self-reflection and participatory action research will enable social work students to develop competencies in the areas of social justice and social action. These are competencies which the social work profession embodies.