Challenging times: a contribution to the history of ‘Education, decolonisation and international development at the Institute of Education (London)’

Our article contributes to a preliminary historical and decolonial analysis of teaching and research in the field of education and international development at the University College London Institute of Education (UCL-IOE). The preliminary analysis, published as ‘Education, decolonisation and international development at the Institute of Education: a historical analysis’ by Elaine Unterhalter and Leila Kadiwal, appeared in the Special 120th Anniversary Issue of The London Review of Education (volume 21, 2022). That article and our response to it, focusses on the work of the Centre for Education and International Development (CEID) and its preceding organisational forms from 1927 onwards. In a responsive critique, we consider the evidence, methods, analysis and conclusions offered by Unterhalter & Kadiwal (2022) and identify a wide range of additional material on curriculum, staff, students, and international partnerships that will be of value to future historians. Contemporary decolonial analysis is important for interpreting the history and for the future positioning of CEID and the wider field of study. In concluding, we identify challenges for ongoing work in this area.