George Floyd's death on May 25th 2020 marked a watershed in reactions to anti-Black racism in the United States and elsewhere. Intense demonstrations around the world followed. Within literary studies, the demonstrations accelerated the scrutiny of the literary curriculum, the need to diversify the curriculum, and the need to incorporate more Black writers. Decolonizing the English Literary Curriculum is a major collection that aims to address these issues from a global perspective. An international team of leading scholars illustrate the necessity and advantages of reform from specific decolonial perspectives, with evidence-based arguments from classroom contexts, as well as establishing new critical agendas. The significance of Decolonizing the English Literary Curriculum lies in the complete overhaul it proposes for the study of English literature. It reconnects English studies, the humanities, and the modern, international university to issues of racial and social justice. This book is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

‘Broad in its geographical and historical scope and drawing on the expertise of scholars from all the continents, Decolonizing the English Literary Curriculum will be the primer for English literary studies for many years to come. The book stands out for its diversity of perspectives, its expansive understanding of different forms of decoloniality, and its range of critical references.’

Simon Gikandi - Class of 1943 University Professor of English, Princeton University