Decolonising doctoral supervision: Rethinking power, positionality and partnerships 

Decolonisation in higher education has become a popular topic, and it’s not just about tweaking reading lists or including diverse perspectives in curricula. The conversation is shifting to more nuanced spaces, like the relationship between doctoral supervisors and their PGRs. So, what does a decolonial approach to supervision look like, and why does it matter? Let’s break it down.

What is Decolonisation?

At its core, decolonisation challenges the dominance of Western and Eurocentric ways of thinking. Scholars like Bhambra et al (2020) and Jivraj (2020) highlight the importance of rethinking curriculum design, diversity, and representation. But as Martin et al. (2020) put it, true decolonisation starts from a place that values ‘other ways of knowing and being.’ This mindset applies not just to what we teach but also to how we teach—and supervise. In doctoral supervision, it’s about recognising the richness of students’ cultural and lived experiences while questioning the traditional power dynamics in academia.

Decolonising Doctoral Supervision

The old-school supervisor-student relationship often casts the supervisor as the all-knowing authority (Santos et al, 2016) and the student as a passive recipient of knowledge. Decolonial supervision flips the script. It’s about fostering a partnership where both parties learn from each other, bringing their unique experiences and knowledge to the table. This approach doesn’t mean throwing academic rigour out the window. Instead, it encourages more meaningful, collaborative relationships. Supervisors have a chance to reflect on their positionality—how their own identities, experiences, and biases shape their interactions—and learn alongside their students.

Positionality and Power Dynamics

Supervisors aren’t neutral actors. Our identities and worldviews seep into how we teach, advise, and interact. As feminist decolonial scholar Underhill-Sem (2020) explains, ‘our positionality is the embodied pivot from which our knowledge-making materialises.’ Recognising this can help supervisors connect better with students, foster inclusivity, and rethink traditional hierarchies.

Bridging Cultures in Supervision

Intercultural competence is a big part of decolonising supervision. It’s not just about domestic supervisors understanding international students—it’s also about international supervisors navigating the UK academic landscape. How do they integrate their cultural knowledge into their roles? How do they overcome feelings of alienation or disconnect?

These are vital questions, not just for building stronger relationships but for reshaping the broader academic culture. Decolonial supervision isn’t just about dismantling power structures; it’s about creating a space where everyone—students and supervisors alike—can thrive.

Does this resonate with your experience in academia? Whether you’re a teacher, supervisor, or researcher, reflecting on your positionality and embracing a decolonial approach could open doors to deeper connections and richer learning experiences.

Supporting Indigenous and doctoral research supervision

A central theme in decolonising doctoral supervision is the support of research with Indigenous communities. However, this approach extends to any research involving communities at risk of being treated as objects of study rather than active collaborators. A decolonial perspective underscores the importance of community-centered research, emphasising collaboration and creating space for communities to tell their stories in their own voices.

Indigenous doctoral research supervision navigates tensions between institutional frameworks and community-centered knowledge creation. The United Nations defines Indigenous peoples as self-identified groups with historical continuity, distinct languages and cultures, and a commitment to maintaining ancestral environments. Research needs are often intricately tied to community agency, which creates challenges within formal academic structures.

One significant issue is the restriction of supervision to university and industry employees, which can limit the formal role of community mentors. Recognising these mentors as research collaborators provides a partial solution, but it is essential to ensure their contributions are appropriately acknowledged and remunerated. Another challenge lies in aligning research objectives with the goals and needs of communities. This requires sustained relationship-building and ethical methodologies that prioritises autonomy, co-created outcomes, and a deliberate de-centering of the PGR student and supervisor.

Furthermore, the single authorship of a PhD dissertation often conflicts with the principle of collaborative knowledge creation. This tension underscores a key duality: the institutional valorisation of individual achievement versus a decolonial emphasis on collective knowledge production. As Scobie et al. (2021) observe, navigating this balance requires a reflective approach – acknowledging the structural limitations of formal academia while actively seeking and creating opportunities for bottom-up, community-driven research and engagement as a guiding principle for continued professional practice.

Conclusion 

Decolonising doctoral supervision requires rethinking power dynamics, reflecting on the values and experiences that shape our connections, and reconsidering the purpose of academic research. By prioritising respect and understanding of doctoral students’ cultural backgrounds and experiences, supervisors can foster more collegial and transformative relationships. Moreover, a decolonial approach to supervision, which emphasises community-centred research practices, also helps to de-centre academic authority and initiates a shift towards viewing doctoral research as a more collective and democratic endeavour. Let’s keep the conversation going. What does decolonial supervision mean to you? ‘

You can download our resource on decolonising doctoral supervision on the University of Exeter website.

 

References  

Bhambra, G. K., Nisancioglu, K., & Gebrial, D. (2020) Decolonising the university in 2020, Identities. 

Jivraj, S. (2020) Decolonizing the academy – between a rock and a hard place. International Journal of Postcolonial Studies, 22(4), pp. 552-573

Martin, B., Stewart, G., Watson, B. K., Silva, O. K., Teisina, J., Matapp, J. (2020) Situating decolonization: An indigenous dilemma. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 52(3), pp. 312-321

Santos, B. de S., Nimako, K., Maldonado-Torres, N., Burman, A., Aman, R., Sithole, T., Pérez-Bustillo, C., Pitts, A. J., Reed-Sandoval, A., Díaz Cepeda, L. R., Noroozi, N. (2016) Decolonizing the Westernized University: Interventions in Philosophy of Education from Within and Without. Edited by E. Rosen Velásquez, R. Grosfoguel, and R. Hernández. Lexington Books

Scobie, M., Lee, W. (2021) Braiding together student and supervisor aspirations in a struggle to decolonize. Organization, 28(5), pp. 857-875.

Underhill-Sem, Y.T.R. (2020) ‘The audacity of the ocean: Gendered politics of positionality in the Pacific’, Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, 41(3), pp. 310-325.

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