oa Contesting the imperial agenda. Respelling hopelessness

Actual hegemonic structures are imperial structures. They rely on the oppression and marginalisation of all of those who are produced and marked as the Other. Considering the profound impact of the epistemic violence that was deployed to build empires, it comes as no surprise that, to be able to decolonise the university, it will not be enough to change the curricula, to challenge the canon, to employ ‘diversity officers’, or to make the classroom more inclusive. Instead, this contribution proposes a deconstruction of the university and pleas for unlearning as a strategy that aims towards an epistemic change. Furthermore, in a deliberate attempt to save the unsalvageable – the European university – we call for the respelling of hopelessness.