Decolonise Queen Mary


We're excited to bring you this campaign which aims to start conversations around race and the legacy of colonialism.

Decolonisation is a process of dismantling colonial structures, ideologies, and practices that continue to impact societies and cultures today. It involves challenging and dismantling the legacy of colonialism, which is characterised by Western-centric perspectives and the marginalisation of other cultures, knowledge systems, and histories.

Decolonisation aims to acknowledge and incorporate diverse knowledge systems and histories, empower marginalised communities, and promote social justice. This process involves a critical examination of power dynamics, challenging dominant narratives, and reimagining educational, cultural, and social practices to create a more equitable and inclusive society. Ultimately, decolonisation seeks to create a world that values diversity and recognises the contributions of all people and cultures.

We’re committed to shining a light on the diversity of our students so make sure to check out our programme of events, as well as our Culture List where you can discover a great selection of books, films, TV and more.


Saynab Sharif, VP Humanities and Social Sciences


Upcoming events


What does Decolonisation mean to you?

Help us have an open conversation about decolonisation by writing your thoughts and opinions on our decolonisation boards in the Students' Union Hub. Bring friends, get jotting and share your ideas!

9am - 5pm, Mon 20 March
Students' Union Hub

Book Club

A welcoming and inclusive space where you can connect with others and join engaging debates on works by underrepresented voices. Our first book is “As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow” by Zoulfa Katouh.

12.30pm - 2pm, Tue 28 March
Blomeley Rooms, Students' Union Hub

Film Night

Need a mid-week pick me up and interested in thought-provoking film and discussion? Join QMSU as we host a film screening of ‘Victoria and Abdul’ as part of our Decolonisation Week.

1pm - 4pm, Mon 3 April
Blomeley Rooms, Students' Union Hub

Drop-in Gallery

Share your thoughts on decolonisation and find inspiration from others. Connect through artwork, presentations, photos, poetry & all other creative ideas! We welcome all levels of experience.

3pm - 5pm, Wed 29 March
Blomeley Rooms, Students' Union Hub


View all events

Culture List

Click the drop-downs below to see our Culture List, a selection of books, film, TV, podcasts and more.

Fiction:
  • Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart
  • James Baldwin, If Beale Street Could Talk
  • Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children
  • Susan Abulhawa, Mornings in Jenin
  • George Orwell, Burmese Days
  • Naguib Mahfouz, The Cairo Trilogy (Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street)
  • Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude
  • Zoulfa Katouh, As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow
  • Fatima Farheen Mirza, A Place For Us
  • Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things
  • Min Jin Lee, Pachinko
  • Rabih Alameddine, The Hakawati

Non-Fiction
  • Akala, Natives
  • Malcolm X (Alex Haley), The Autobiography of Malcolm X
  • Afua Hirsch, Brit(ish)
  • Angela Davis, Women, Race and Class
  • Franz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth
  • Priyamvada Gopal, Insurgent Empire Anticolonial Resistance and British Dissent
  • David Olusoga, Black and British: a Forgotten History
  • Walter Rodney, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa
  • Aime Cesaire, Discourse on Colonialism
  • Edward Said, Orientalism
  • Edward Said, Culture and Imperialism
  • Frantz Fanon, Black Skins, White Masks
  • Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Decolonising the Mind
  • Mary Robinson, Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future
  • Aja Barber, Consumed: The Need for Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate and Consumerism
  • Ingrid R. G. Waldron, There’s Something in the Water: Environmental Racism in Indigenous and Black Communities
  • Una Marson, Pocomania
  • Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun
  • Inua Ellams, Barber Shop Chronicles
  • Can Themba, The Suit
  • Lynn Nottage, Ruined
  • Athol Fugard, The Island
  • Timberlake Wertenbaker, Our Country’s Good
  • Danai Gurira, The Convert
  • Warsam Shire, Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth
  • Kamau Braithwaite, Born to Slow Horses
  • Rudyard Kipling, The White Man’s Burden
  • Audre Lorde, A Litany for Survival
  • Mahogany L. Browne, Black Girl Magic
  • Gloria Anzaldua, The Wound in the Heart
  • Eavan Boland, The Lost Land
  • Ross Gay, A Small Needful Fact
  • Alberto Rios, The Border: A Double Sonnet
  • Joy Harjo, A Map to the Next World
  • Exterminate All the Brutes (HBO)
  • The Singapore Grip (ITV)
  • When They See Us (Netflix)
  • Noughts and Crosses (BBC)
  • 13th (Netflix)
  • Small Axe (BBC)
  • Droughts and Floods – the Climate Exodus (YouTube)
  • Rotten (Netflix)
  • Cuba: Castro vs. the World (BBC)
  • Black Power: A British Story of Resistance (BBC)
  • Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J Walker (Netflix)
  • Queen Sono (Netflix)
  • The Terror: Infamy (BBC)
  • The Battle of Algiers (1966)
  • Dien Bien Phu (1992)
  • Sankofa (1993)
  • Lumumba (2000)
  • Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
  • The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
  • The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)
  • Freedom Writers (2007)
  • Outside the Law (2010)
  • Invictus (2010)
  • Toussaint L’Ouverture (2012)
  • Timbuktu (2014)
  • Selma (2014)
  • Hidden Figures (2016)
  • Victoria and Abdul (2017)
  • Farming (2018)
  • Amina (2021)
  • The Woman King (2022)
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
  • Between the Lines
  • The History Hotline
  • The Decolonial Podcast
  • Decolonisation in Action
  • Unsettling Knowledge
  • Under the Arch
  • Decolonising DMU

Contact your VP HSS

Saynab Sharif