Decolonising the curriculum is often misunderstood as simply adding diverse content. In practice, it is about questioning which knowledge is valued, who it is for, and who gets to be heard. Pillay (2022) describes it as resisting colonial and racialised systems of knowing while creating space for alternative ways of thinking and learning.
Within western higher education, colonial structures persist through syllabi, assessment models, and assumptions about what counts as serious knowledge. Pillay argues that denying students access to knowledge that reflects their lived experiences is a form of injustice. When students’ cultural references are dismissed, they are positioned as less credible contributors to learning.
Manga and anime sit awkwardly within these structures. Due to mass production and popularity, it is often categorised as “low” art. Even though the distinction between high and low art is widely criticised, it still shapes how art is taught and valued. As John A. Fisher notes, these categories continue to influence institutional respect. So the “lower” the art the lower cultural value or respect it has.
UAL, like many Western art institutions, privileges European art histories and traditions. This isn’t always explicit, but it shows up in reading lists, examples used in teaching, and what is framed as reference worthy. Popular visual cultures, especially non-Western ones, are often sidelined. In my years of being a student and teaching I have never seen (or don’t remember) seeing a manga or anime used in any illustration reading list.
Ironically, in the late 80s when Japan was going through economic struggle, amateur manga artist were viewed as ‘antisocial’, since large sections of Japanese youth would express their ‘radical political movements’ and ‘cultural activities’ through the manga medium (Kinsella S, 1998). For me, these dismissive attitudes echo a familiar pattern in Western academia, where forms of expression that sit outside accepted traditions are often undervalued or ignored.
I believe manga and anime can use narratives to challenge hierarchies and expresses the realities of society today. Maybe this is why young people are drawn to the art form, a visual spectacle for speculative or documented truths.
bell hooks’ Teaching to Transgress offers a useful parallel. When she discusses Black vernacular culture and rap music, she shows how marginalised cultural forms can disrupt dominant ways of knowing, while also warning of the risk of trivialisation (hooks, 1994). Inclusion without understanding can strip these forms of their power.
This is a real risk with manga and anime. If they are included superficially, they become a novelty or sit within the realm of tokenism. For them to function as meaningful teaching resources, tutors need the support to unlearn inherited biases. As hooks notes, this process is uncomfortable but necessary.