CIARS 2026 XIII Decolonizing Conference
2026 CIARS XIII Decolonizing Conference: “COLONIAL RUPTURES: UNMASKING ON-GOING COLONIALITY AND FOSTERING COUNTER INSURGENCY, RESISTANCE AND LIBERATORY POSSIBILITIES.”
Dates: March 12-14, 2026
Location: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
Address: 252 Bloor St. W. Toronto, ON M5S 1V6
Registration Link: www.eventbrite.ca/decolonizingconference
Learn More: www.decolonizingconference.com
The Centre for Integrative Anti-Racism Studies (CIARS) at the University of Toronto, in collaboration with its partners, will host the 13th Decolonizing Conference from March 12-14, 2026 at Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto in Canada.
The ongoing legacies of colonialism continue to shape our world and our experiences within it—manifesting in racial hierarchies, health disparities, economic inequities, cultural erasures, and Land struggles and reclamations, all of which fuel ongoing geopolitical tensions. This conference offers a space for meaningful dialogue, critical reflection, and collective action, bringing together emerging and established scholars, artists, activists, community members and leaders, and other radical thinkers from around the world who are engaged in anti-colonial, anti-racist, and inclusive education work. Let us collectively address and confront ongoing global challenges and imagine possibilities for profound, sustainable change and regeneration.
About the Conference
Anchored in de/anti-colonial thinking, the conference encourages dialectical and conjunctural analyses that connect the histories, ideas, and practices shaping human experience and growth. It seeks to advance critical anti-colonial knowledge, critique the present, and reimagine new futures of living well together—futures that resist continuing global capital extractivism and supremacist thinking, and instead, build alternative ways of knowing, being, and relating to one another.
The conference thus calls for ethical and transformative scholarship that bridges divides, nurtures community, and aligns theory with activism to move beyond mere awakening of critical consciousness. This involves the rejection of performative intellectualism and politics, advocating instead for the cultivation of communities grounded in academic mentorship and collective care. It is urgent for us to reject colonial binaries that promote “thinking in hierarchies,” eradicate toxicity and dehumanization and see education and social justice work as foundational to human liberation. Together, we aim to resist hate, violence, oppression, and all forms of genocide within the corollary of colonialism by bridging the gaps between scholarship, activism and social politics.
Guiding Questions
- How can we build anti-colonial solidarities rooted in radical hope and futurity?
- How might teachings of Land—sharing, reciprocity, connection, mutual interdependence, and community building, as well as shared responsibilities—subvert colonial hierarchies in education?
- How do we resist subjectivities and continue ancestral struggles for liberation?
- What epistemic and political practices can release us from colonizing relations?
- How can we reclaim control over our stories and identities to upend intellectual enslavement?
Submission Details
Submissions for the 2026 CIARS XIII Decolonizing Conference are no longer being accepted. To stay up to date with CIARS conference updates, calls for proposals, and other events, please follow us on social media or email us! (see below)
In collaboration with: Critical Studies in Equity and Solidarity, New College, University of Toronto (U of T); the Centre for Leadership and Diversity (CLD), OISE, U of T; the Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement; and the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute; SDA College of Education; University of Education, Winneba (UEW)
Join us for the XIII Decolonizing Conference!
ABOUT THE KEYNOTE
Dr. Bettina L. Love
Dr. Bettina L. Love is the William F. Russell Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, and the acclaimed author of Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal, a New York Times bestseller. The book has received numerous honors, including the Stowe Prize for Literary Activism, a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize, the Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice, the National Council for Black Studies' Anna Julia Cooper & C.L.R. James Book Award, and long-listing for the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize.
In recognition of her transformative work, Dr. Love was named a 2022 Next 50 Leader by the Kennedy Center for her commitment to fostering inspiration, inclusion, and compassion. In 2024, she was honored with the Truth Award for Excellence in Education from Better Brothers Los Angeles and The Diva Foundation, as well as the Black Girl Magic Award at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Dr. Love was instrumental in the creation of the "In Her Hands" initiative, which distributed over $13 million in financial support to Black women throughout Georgia. A sought-after public speaker, she addresses issues including abolitionist teaching, anti-racism, Hip Hop education, Black girlhood, queer youth, educational reparations, and the power of art-based education in civic engagement. Her commentary and work have been featured in NPR, PBS, The Daily Beast, Time, Education Week, The Guardian, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In 2018, the Georgia House of Representatives passed a resolution honoring Dr. Love's significant contributions to education. As a public scholar, she is a regular contributor to Education Week Opinion, writing on race and education in the United States. Her 2019 book, We Want To Do More Than Survive, has sold nearly 200,000 copies and is a foundational classroom text, cementing her as one of today's most influential voices in education. Dr. Love is also the co-founder of the research project Freedom Dreams and Educational Repair: Black Communities' Visions for Transformative Education in the Face of Systemic Inequity—for short, DREAMS. This national study investigates Black educational freedom dreams emerging from the most racialized spaces of educational resistance, with the goal of advancing educational repair. She is the author of the forthcoming children's book, Bettina and the Ball, published by Candlewick Press.
Call for Volunteers and Vendors
Volunteer with us!
- Conference room set-up (organizing chairs, welcoming audience)
- Welcoming and assisting participants upon arrival at the conference (handing out name tags, conference booklets, and providing essential information)
- Providing directions, information, and a friendly first point of contact
- Supporting smooth registration and help create a welcoming atmosphere
- Lunch duties (e.g. handing out food based on dietary restrictions)
- Decorating (leading up to the conference)
- Cleaning up (at the end of each day)
- Tech set-up (if you are tech-savvy)
Post-Conference Social Gathering
Join us on March 14 from 8:30PM to 11:30PM for an evening of celebration and connection. Together, let's enjoy good food, lively music, and the company of passionate students, scholars, and community members! Please be advised that ticket purchases for the social gathering are separate from the conference registration.
For inquiries, email the CIARS Summer Institute Organizing team at ciars.oise@utoronto.ca.