Everyone should have the chance to study chemistry, and equitable opportunities and outcomes should exist in chemistry education. However, the history of chemistry and chemistry education prioritises the knowledge and interests of some (dominant) groups at the expense of others. Here we examine colonialism in chemistry and its links to racism, which operate in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. There are ways in which you can challenge these processes in your chemistry studies, through questioning how chemical knowledge is created, what stories about chemistry are told, what assumptions underpin chemistry research priorities, what is (and is not) being taught, and why.
Student-led movements, such as ‘Why is My Curriculum White?’, have challenged the white, often male, Eurocentric curriculum in universities. Campaigns like this argue that current curricula are a legacy of colonialism and that the same oppressive power relationships perpetuate racism within education and society today.
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