Developing decolonial reflexivity: decolonizing management education by confronting white-skin, white identities and whiteness

This article explores the potential contribution that White academics based at a Western institution might offer to decolonizing management and organizational knowledge (MOK). We consider how racial hierarchies underpin MOK and shape existing privileges embedded in higher education institutions in the United Kingdom. We reflect on how confronting having White skin and White identities and critically engaging with Whiteness can contribute to decolonizing management education. We address two questions: How can we, and more broadly, White academics, play a constructive role in debates on decolonizing MOK and education? What kind of reflexivity does decolonizing MOK require of us so that we can engage in these debates without colonizing them? The article consists of four sections: (a) introducing the broader context in which we make our contribution; (b) historicizing and exploring issues of identity, Whiteness, Blackness, and otherness; (c) considering how these issues may or may not be embedded in management and organizational education; and (d) developing the new concept of decolonial reflexivity and exploring what this means for White scholars, particularly in relation to ideas of discomfort. By engaging in decolonial reflexivity, we hope to encourage stronger engagement with issues of race, Whiteness, and White privilege in MOK and education.