Decoloniality or Dewesternization of Academia

This paper discusses the project of decolonization and dewesternization of academia in the work of Walter D. Mignolo. I begin with debates about the state of the social sciences at the end of the 20th century. Then, I present Mignolo’s controversial position against contemporary global far-right currents. Next, I discuss his decolonizing university project, which is based on his concept of border thinking, along with the concepts of decoloniality, dewesternization, place, and phagocytosis. I argue that a decolonization project of academia using Mignolo’s tools is destined to fail and aligns with far-right ideologies of non-Western imperialisms.