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Abstract

This dissertation examines the enduring influence of the British Empire in contemporary Britain, with a focus on English universities. Of interest are the ways in which empire conditions how decolonization is articulated and operationalized in English higher education. Inspired by Ann Stoler’s Imperial Debris: On Ruins and Ruination (2013), this research develops the methodological metaphor of an “archaeology of imperial ruins” as a critical framework for understanding how Britain’s imperial past continues to shape its present. This dissertation is divided into two sections. The first part is interested in excavating the imperial ruins of the British Empire to justify why the British Empire remains a relevant object of inquiry in modern Britain, especially in the English university. To substantiate this, I engage in historiographical work to trace the entanglements between Britain, empire, and higher education. I critically examine how these entanglements operate as imperial ruins to perpetuate coloniality in modern Britain and modern English universities. The second part is concerned with confronting the excavated ruins of the British Empire in higher education, which I do through the lens of decolonization. I critically analyze how decolonization is being mobilized in English universities and with what impacts. I point to possible shortcomings within current decolonization discourse, which I suggest is heavily conditioned by the ruins of the British Empire. Confronting these ruins is therefore an integral component of decolonization efforts. However, some ruins are absent from discussions of decolonization or decolonization initiatives in English universities. I suggest their absence can compromise attempts at decolonization. I consider the endurance of settler colonialism in former settler colonies of the British Empire to be an absent ruin that is worth considering to further decolonization efforts in English universities. The fundamental aim of this research is therefore to deepen discussions of decolonization in English higher education institutions.