We are the Copenhagen Decolonization Collective, an interdisciplinary and intercultural initiative based in Copenhagen & critically engaged with theories and practices of decolonization. Our work focuses on creating a space for reflection, discussion, and learning about the colonial structures that shape our institutions, knowledge systems, and everyday lives. Through awareness-raising and resource-sharing, we seek to challenge dominant colonial narratives in the world around us.
This newsletter is one of the ways we’re practicing collective reflection and accountability. We’ll use it to share what we’ve been working on, what we’re learning, and where we’re headed next — as well as to invite participation and collaboration. If you find it meaningful, please feel free to pass it along to friends, family, or others who might want to engage with this work.
And click here to subscribe to our brand new and exciting Substack to follow along with us!!
What We’ve Been Up To
We started 2026 by rooting ourselves in learning, connection, and laying foundations for what’s to come.
In January & February we facilitated a reading course that brought together new faces, perspectives, and energies. It was a genuinely exciting space, full of curiosity, creativity, and shared reflection, and out of it was born a weekly discussion group that gets together to learn and create community around a shared commitment to and interest in decolonization. Please reach out to us if you’re in Copenhagen and interested in joining!
We had a great start to the year with our first events! We reimagined a decolonial future during our two zine workshops. These workshops encouraged participants to reconsider the future of ordinary objects, such as a chocolate bar, and what that future might look like. We also collaborated with our friends at Sidste Skole and enjoyed a meal together after! Here is a reflection shared from the workshop by an attendee:
“In a cosy old boathangar, together with Sidste Skole, we collectively cooked chili sin carne and made more artistic zines, centering food products this time. From 'kolonialvarer/colonial goods' as exotic food products- to dreamscapes to escape from capitalism... the creative juices were flowing amidst piles of beans and coriander leaves.”
We also did a teach-in with global health students who were about to travel to Nepal and Poland! During this teach-in, we asked students to engage in a role-play exercise in which they took on the roles of different stakeholders seeking to reach an agreement on how to fund a new health initiative. During this exercise, students reflected on power dynamics, positionality, and epistemic injustice.
In addition to events, we’ve published a few new blog posts over the past months, exploring topics ranging from Danish colonialism in the case of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland), to decolonizing research methodologies, to reflecting on the creative zine workshops we conducted.
Overall, the first months of this year were about slowing down, learning together, and nurturing a sense of cozy community. As the days get sunnier and longer, though, we’re ready to build momentum toward a spring and summer full of shared projects, and exciting new events! Stay tuned!
Decolonial Flowchart of the Month
Click on the image or click here to see full size version for zooming in!
Looking Forward
As we move into spring, we’re excited to gather in a few different ways:
We will be co-hosting a movie screening during the Global Health Film Days at Cinemateket. Come join us to watch: “The Spirit Who Swims” which follows the migratory journey of the Salmon in the Fraser River and their spiritual and material significance to Indigneous riverside communities. The CDC will introduce the event and host a panel after the film with the director Bev Sellars, and Aviâja Lyberth Hauptmann, Associate Professor at the Institute of Health and Nature at the University of Greenland.
We’re also preparing the next round of our “Introduction to Decolonization” reading course starting 29 April till 20 May (sign up link here!). This course is meant as an accessible, collaborative entry point for anyone interested in critically engaging decolonization as theory and practice, and we’re really looking forward to welcoming both new and returning participants.
We’re also starting an email alert list for all our future events, so please opt in here if you’re local and want to be informed when we have an upcoming event!
Inspiration for your Bike Ride!
This is an appreciative mention of the work Fernando Racimo is producing! We are inviting readers and receivers of our work at the Copenhagen Decolonization Collective to interact with Fernando’s decolonial, rejuvenating, and respectful action. Regardless if you’re a reader or not, here we propose his book and a podcast episode from “speaking out of place“ where he speaks about the book. In this way, we are woven together in a discourse for science in resistance, exploring the interlinkages between power and knowledge in an attempt to unveil transformative action for climate justice.
Help shape what we focus on next!
We’d really love to hear what you all think. Please fill out our quick poll here!
Stay Connected
If you’re interested in writing for our blog, collaborating, or getting involved in the Collective, we’d love to hear from you — just reply to this email or reach out to us directly.
You can also find us on LinkedIn, explore our work and resources on our website, or share this newsletter with someone who might be interested! If this was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here to stay in the loop.
As always, thank you for supporting our Collective! See you next month.
