Communication Design Quarterly Mar 2021 Open Access

Decolonizing decoloniality: considering the (mis)use of decolonial frameworks in TPC scholarship

Cana Uluak Itchuaqiyaq Virginia Tech ; Breeanne Matheson Utah Valley University

Abstract

As the field of technical and professional communication (TPC) has moved toward more inclusive perspectives, the use of decolonial frameworks has increased rapidly. However, TPC scholarship designed using decolonial frameworks lacks a clear, centralized definition and may overgeneralize and/or marginalize Indigenous concerns. Using a corpus analysis of TPC texts, we assess the ways that the field uses "decolonial" and propose a centralized definition of "decolonial" that focuses on rematriation of Indigenous land and knowledges. Further, we offer a heuristic that aids scholars in communication design appropriate for decolonial research and teaching strategies.

Journal
Communication Design Quarterly
Published
2021-03-01
DOI
10.1145/3437000.3437002
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Topics
decolonial rhetorics teacher development professional writing quantitative research
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