The false promise of decolonial research: the complexities and limitations of decolonising methods and methodologies

There are a growing number of scholars who claim to be conducting decolonial research. But what is decolonial research and what are its complexities and limitations? This article explains the most common features of decolonial research. This involves explaining its critique of traditional research, its treatment of research participants, and its views on the purpose of research. It also involves discussing some misconceptions about decolonial research and identifying the synergies that decolonial research has with other critical research methodologies. This article also deploys ‘decolonial reflexivity’ as a tool to examine the potential complexities and limitations of decolonial research. This results in a consideration of how some research that claims to be decolonial may not only fail to dismantle coloniality but may even reinforce coloniality and Northerncentrism. This is accompanied by consideration of how we can redeem decolonial research so that we do not have to abandon it entirely. It is argued that such critical interrogation of decolonial research is necessary if we want decolonial research to have a greater chance of achieving its goal of dismantling coloniality. Otherwise, decolonial research may remain a false promise which does not decolonise even whilst claiming it does.