The Journal of Critical Race, Indigeneity, and Decolonization (JCRID) has published another issue, this one highlighting decolonization and marginalized voices. (JCRID/ The University of Windsor)
By Lindsay Charlton
Which perspectives in academic publishing are amplified — and which are overlooked?
In its latest issue, the Journal of Critical Race, Indigeneity, and Decolonization (JCRID) highlights decolonization and marginalized voices while advancing what the editors call “knowledge globalization.”
“We tried to spread the geographic tentacles of this edition,” said chief editor Dr. Festus Moasun, a professor in the School of Social Work. “We included articles from Africa, South Asia, as well as North America.”
The issue published in December 2025, includes one book review and seven peer-reviewed scholarly articles exploring the topic of decolonization.
“You’ll see many of the articles selected are disruptive in specific ways,” he added.
Describing himself as a “knowledge politician,” Moasun said the journal is meant to highlight how rich knowledge from around the globe can be, particularly when considering the politics of knowledge creation — including which ideas are accepted and which are rejected.
“We are consistently working to globalize the world,” he said. “But globalization of the world has often been economic and political globalization. How about knowledge globalization?
“We are hoping this edition contributes to the effort at globalizing knowledge, that there is no longer a barrier as to where you can publish your article, just because you are living in a certain part of the world.”
In their editor’s note, Moasun and associate editor Dr. James Oloo reference a recent study that found authors based in the Global South are often excluded from top economics journals and receive far fewer citations than their Western counterparts, even when the articles are of comparable quality.
“This study came out around the same time we were putting this issue together. So, I thought, well, the notion of this journal itself is to provide a space for all voices to be heard and welcomed,” said Oloo, a professor in UWindsor’s Faculty of Education.
“This was just our third issue, and I was very much impressed by the quality of the papers submitted — the diversity and richness.”
Oloo said the articles in the journal offer fresh perspectives and have opened his mind to new ideas.
He pointed to an article that reimagines the community garden in urban centres as more than just a place to grow food.
“Yes, you can grow your tomatoes, flowers and take care of the garden and get fresh food. But this author looked at it as a site of decolonization,” Oloo said.
“He also connected it to Indigeneity. It’s not just a piece of land owned by the city where you grow your vegetables. It’s also a site of protest and cultural activity. I’ve seen many urban gardens, but I’ve never viewed it that way, so that stood out to me.”
Oloo has been involved with JCRID since it was first established in 2023 by the Office of the Vice-President, People, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Windsor as a space for academic discourse by international researchers and scholars on a range of issues.
Its past issues have covered topics such as the emergence of new voices, calling out racial bias within institutional settings, and a recently published special issue about being a good ally.
All JCRID publications are available online at https://ojs.uwindsor.ca/index.php/jcrid/index