(Un)learning ‘Europe’ as Decolonial Practice

While critical approaches have emerged in recent years, mainstream European Studies scholarship has insufficiently acknowledged the relevance of colonialism, racism and broader imperialist practices to study not only the past, but also the present. This Special Issue puts forward a decolonial approach to European Studies, connecting material and epistemic injustices to emphasize the political relevance of scholarly work and the necessity of self-reflexivity. This not only facilitates a deep introspection of the EU, which needs to reconcile its colonial history with its aspirations for global justice and equality, but also of the field of European Studies, which often aligns its research priorities with the institutional agendas of the EU. Decolonial practice thus not only aims to analyze political reality, but also to provide conceptual tools to make sense of, and to change, this reality. We therefore advocate the logic of decoloniality to challenge Eurocentric narratives that continue to conceive of Europe as the birthplace of modernity, as synonymous with progress and civilization, and as white. This involves engaging seriously with epistemologies from the Global Souths and Global Easts, and addressing the ethical and material imperatives of decolonization. Working on ‘Europe’ without presuming it to be the center of the planet ensures that the stories of those who have been exploited by European colonialism and capitalism are told, heard, and given epistemic weight. These stories, in turn, have the potential to transform how we understand Europe itself.