Decolonisation: Searching Decolonised Literature
This page explains how to search for decolonised literature, using different search strategies and how Library Learning and Resources can help you.
Why is it more difficult to find decolonised literature?
It is important to recognise that research by global majority authors is often underrepresented or missing from prominent databases (Tennant et al., 2019) and library discovery systems.
Global majority authors face structural barriers such as lack of representation on editorial boards (de Albuquerque et al., 2020), lack of funding for researchers of colour (Sheppard and Dalton, 2021) and the expectation to write in or translate their knowledge to English (Suzina, 2020).
Find sources about decolonisation in BCU Library Search
There are many variations of keywords that could help you to find resources on decolonisation in BCU Library Search. The following search techniques can help you to capture these variations:
Wildcards and Truncation
Adding an asterisk (*) at the end of the root of a word will search for all possible variations of that word. Try searching for decoloni* to find multiple variations of the word including: decolonise, decolonising, decolonisation, decolonial and decoloniality.
Question marks (?) can be used to replace a letter in a word to account for variations in spellings by region or dialect (i.e. US English and UK English). Try searching for decoloni?ation to find results including decolonisation (UK English spelling) and decolonization (US English spelling).
Synonyms
Consider alternative terms that could help to broaden your search results, for example: anti-racism, anti-racist, colonial, coloniality, colonialism, empire, eurocentric, eurocentrism, racism, racist etc...
Build an advanced search by grouping synonyms on a search line with OR, for example:
colonial OR coloniality OR colonialism
These search techniques will work across many bibliographic databases available via our A-Z databases. Follow the question mark icon 
in the A-Z databases list to access search tips or training from the provider on their website.
Find Resources: Databases Databases with global majority coverage
Help and Support
For help with search technique visit our BCU Library Search guide or book a tutorial with a librarian.
These search techniques will work across many bibliographic databases available via our A-Z databases. You can usually find search tips or training from the provider on their website.
Do you want to know more about building advanced search prompts? Take the Enhancing Your Researching Skills e-learning course (20mins).