Crafting inclusion through creative practice: Decolonising using zines

Abstract

Zines are entwined with a long history of socio-political activism. They represent a subversive symbol of anti-institution publishing which offers a material means to combat dominant cultures. Centring the human creative input, zines embody a do-it-yourself, non-specialist, self-expressive and accessible form informed by passion over profit. In doing so, they foster a non-hierarchical, creative space for facilitating the production of knowledge.

In relation to higher education and pedagogy, zines are slowly becoming a mainstay of decolonised curriculum design initiatives. They allow for a move away from more “traditional” forms of teaching and assessment and are becoming an innovative means to explore the co-creation of learning. In addition, zines have begun to be integrated into the university canon through the development and design of zine libraries.

This workshop offers staff and students an opportunity to explore the potential of zines to decolonise the curriculum and make teaching, learning and research practices more inclusive. It will begin with a short introduction to the decolonial relevance of zines and zine making as a practice. Participants will then be given the opportunity (online or in-person) to create a single-page zine exploring the topic: “Decolonising My Curriculum or Research.” Tools will be provided during the session i.e., writing provocations, cut and paste materials, and previous examples, to facilitate and inspire creativity. These single-page zines will then be added, with permission from participants, into a collaborative zine project about university staff and students’ perceptions of decolonisation within their respective fields.