Flying with the bird: A posthuman-a/r/tographic rethinking of decolonization

This article rethinks decolonization through the lens of posthuman-a/r/tography, a theoretical framework that integrates posthumanist philosophy with a/r/tographic methodology. The inquiry was initiated by a chance encounter with a seagull perched atop sʔi:ɬqəý qeqən , a sculpture representing First Nations culture on the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus in Vancouver, Canada. Inspired by contiguity in a/r/tography, and drawing on visual artworks, narrative, avian visual systems and quantum physics, I sought to challenge dominant understandings of decolonization and contribute to a reimagined interpretative pathway. Later, as an educator, I extended this inquiry into my K–12 art classroom, where students engaged in learning with and from non-human entities. Their responses open new possibilities for decolonial pedagogy. I argue that decolonization is not only an act of integration and/or reconciliation between Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people but also an ongoing process of entangled becoming among beings, events, perspectives and relationships.