DECOLONIZING NURSING
In September 2021, Nursology.net (https://nursology.net) and the Center for Nursing Philosophy (https://nursing.uci.edu/center-for-nursing-philosophy) sponsored an online panel discussion focused on "Decolonizing Nursing." The 7 panelists were all nurse scholars of color who discussed the ways their research and activism were bringing the perspectives of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color to the center in order to develop knowledge originating from world views beyond Euro-centric thought. A brief recap of the event, and a recording of the panel, is available on the Center for Nursing Philosophy website (https://nursing.uci.edu/2021/09/decolonizing-nursing-recap) (Figure).
The realm of nursing knowledge development has emerged over the past 50 decades in places and spaces that excluded people of color and spaces that might have admitted them but were not friendly or welcoming. The remnants of that history in nursing and health care have lingered to the present. In the past several months since the killing of George Floyd, there has been a more widespread recognition of the injustices of this history, and some notable efforts to begin to engage in truth, reconciliation, and reparation leading to equity and justice. The "Decolonizing Nursing" panel was one such event, but it is only a small beginning.
Efforts to decolonize nursing bring to the forefront recognition of the limitations of knowledge systems arising solely from Euro-centric lenses. This does not mean that our existing theories and philosophies are to be discarded or devalued. Rather, this means that as a discipline we seek to create spaces where the perspectives of everyone "belong"-where thought systems other than those of White folks are not merely welcomed but also honored, taught, explained, and explored with the dignity and respect that they deserve. It also means that we turn a critical lens on the theories and philosophies originating from Euro-centric thought traditions, particularly dismantling the many ways in which those thought traditions exclude those perceived as "different" and unacceptable. Finally, it means that we explicitly change ways of writing, talking, and interacting that dismantle structures of injustice and prejudice and create contexts that honor the full humanity of all.
Advances in Nursing Science (ANS) has a rich tradition of publishing works that bring injustices to the surface, that challenge the status quo, and that point the way to a more just and equitable future. To this end, we have published guidelines for addressing racism in ANS content.
The ANS leadership-editor, advisory board members, peer reviewers, and publisher-recognizes that published scholarly works are vehicles that can challenge systemic racism and intersecting forms of power inequities. ANS expects an explicit anti-racist stance as a means to provide scholarly resources to support anti-racism in research, practice, education, administration, and policy making. To this end, we offer the following guidelines:
* Remain mindful of the many ways in which White privilege is embedded in scholarly writing, and engage in careful rereading of your work to shift away from these explicit and implied messages. As an example, general "norms" are typically taken to reflect White experience only; this is revealed when the experience of people of color is taken to be "other" or "unusual" or worse yet "unhealthy."
* When race is included as a research variable or a theoretical concept, racism must be named and integrated with other intersecting forms of oppression such as gender, sexuality, income, and religion.
* If your work does include race,
* Provide a rationale that clearly supports an anti-racist stance;
* Be careful not to explicitly or implicitly suggest a genetic interpretation; and
* Explicitly state the benefit that your work contributes on behalf of people of color.
* Refrain from any content that explicitly or implicitly blames the victim or that stereotypes groups of people; situate health inequities clearly in the context of systemic processes that disadvantage people of color.
* Focus on unveiling dynamics that sustain harmful and discriminatory systems and beliefs and on actions that can interrupt these structural dynamics.
-Peggy L. Chinn, PhD, RN, FAAN
Editor