About the Book
In academic institutions worldwide, the call to decolonize the syllabus, curriculum, and the entire university experience is growing louder and more urgent. Yet, the conversation must extend beyond blogs, hashtags, and social media trends. This book dives deep into the critical need to challenge and transform the foundations of marketing education. Addressing the urgent need for deeper conversations, this book delves into the multifaceted process of decolonizing marketing theory and practice to foster a more inclusive field. Through an insightful collection of contributions, this book critically examines the entrenched roots of colonization, capitalism, and inequality, urging us to move beyond simply adding non-white authors and non-Western case studies to the curriculum. Decolonization should begin with a focus on inclusivity and equality, progressing towards the recognition and exploration of diverse contexts and paradigms.
Through rigorous analysis and innovative perspectives, this book identifies key areas in marketing pedagogy that require decolonization, urging a move away from exclusionary practices and Western-centric ideologies. It identifies crucial areas where texts, knowledge, and contexts need to be decolonized, advocating for a paradigm shift from a culture of exclusion and Western-centric ideologies to one that embraces inclusivity and a broad range of philosophical perspectives from the non-Western world.
Aimed at researchers and academics in the field of marketing, this book offers a profound exploration of teaching and learning dynamics from a more inclusive and diverse perspective. By fostering engagement with a wider audience, it seeks to enrich the discourse around marketing education with a more nuanced and enriched perspective. Decolonizing Marketing Theory and Practice is an essential resource for those committed to creating a more equitable and comprehensive understanding of marketing in a global context.
Table of Contents:
Part I: Decolonizing the Marketing Landscape - a paradigm shift 1. A New Educational Paradigm to Decolonise Marketing Education and Practice 2. Decolonising Marketing History: Branding during the Colonial Expansion 3. Zooming in on Decolonial brand-building: A study of two contrasting experiences from modernizing India 4. Technology and Innovation to Decolonise Marketing Research Methods Part II: Going beyond the Inclusivity and Diversity debates in Marketing theory and practice. 5. Decolonizing Branding: Applying Chinese Principles of Relationships, Loyalty, And Personality 6. Beyond diversity: towards a disability inclusive marketing 7. Inclusivity and Diversity: Marketing Exercise or a Real Commitment? Part III: Towards a sustainable pedagogical approach 8. Circular Pedagogy – Towards a Sustainable Yet Inclusive Educational Model 9. Developing an intersectional marketing curriculum: Reflecting in action 10. Transdisciplinary Education for Smart Sustainable Development 11. Decolonizing Marketing Education through Circular Pedagogy in Latin America: A Digital Service-Learning Program on Marginalized Businesswomen 12. Artificial Intelligence in Marketing Education
About the Author :
Hasan Gilani has been working in the world of academia for more than 24 years now, most of which has been achieved in the UK's higher education sector. He also serves as a consultant and trainer on brand management and customer relationship management (CRM) for many international organizations across the world. With his PhD in Brand Management, he has been publishing on the subject areas of retail corporate branding, knowledge management, corporate identity, Shariah Finance, and more recently on Six Sigma and post-COVID employee brand behaviour.
Gilani has extensive corporate managerial experience with fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and retail organizations. He has previously worked with international brands including Motorola, Pepsi Cola, Marks and Spencer, National Grid, OCR, and Debenhams in the areas of corporate marketing, customer services, event sponsorships, and consumer retail. He has also worked as a consultant in the international development and NGO sector, working jointly with German, Dutch and British organizations as well as conducting academic research with retail giants such as Sainsbury's, Marks and Spencer, Aldi, and John Lewis.
Serving as a Principal Lecturer at the University of Brighton’s School of Business and Law, Dr. Gilani has the additional role of Inclusive Practice lead where he is currently working on "Decolonizing the curriculum" – a project where his team looks into making the courses diverse, inclusive, and dismantles the colonized pedagogical practices, in order to have a realm of diversified knowledge from all parts of the world.
Review :
“Read the book – well put together with strong messaging on the importance of a more flexible circular pedagogy.
This book bravely demonstrates the rebirth of marketing as truly democratic, embracing multiple roles and cultures privileging none.”
Prof Stephen Dobson, Dean of the School of Education and the Arts, Central Queensland University, Australia.
“Decolonizing Marketing Theory and Practice is the first comprehensive guide as to how marketing thought and practice on key topics such as branding can advance utilizing non-Western concepts. Scholars interested in DEI, India and marketing pedagogy in particular will benefit from the novel insights highlighted in this accessible text.”
Prof Giana M. Eckhardt, Professor of Marketing, King’s College London
“Whilst not solely a Western phenomenon, the European project of colonialism is particularly held accountable for the social, cultural, economic, political, psychological, and military domination of the West over non-Western geographies since the 16th century. Amongst different means that colonialism has used to create and maintain its hegemony, knowledge management has played a pivotal role. It is due to such significance that, in the present book, Gilani and his colleagues seek to create awareness about the need to undo the ongoing project of colonialism through decolonization of Marketing knowledge. Providing insights/evidence from different sociocultural contexts, authors engage in a series of thought-provoking discussions to show both the manifestations of knowledge West-centrism in Marketing and how such knowledge can be decolonized in higher education institutes.”
Dr Aliakbar Jafari, Reader, University of Strathclyde
“Dr. Hasan Gilani’s edited volume is a timely call for a more inclusive, multicultural, and relational study of the histories, practices, and paradigms of marketing and branding than the current Western-centric versions. Acknowledging the colonial legacies that underpin business and marketing education and practices, the book's many authors aim to challenge the status quo and elevate frameworks and perspectives from non-Western contexts. Thus, this book is a welcome resource for students/scholars of critical marketing and (de)coloniality studies."
Professor Guliz Ger, Professor of Marketing, Bilkent University, Turkey and SKEMA Business School, France
“This book is a trailblazer in decolonizing marketing education, advocating for inclusivity and diverse philosophical perspectives. It offers fresh perspectives to the discourse in marketing pedagogy. A must-read for those seeking to revolutionize marketing theory and practice with multicultural insights.”
Professor Jochen Wirtz, Ph.D. Vice Dean MBA Programs, National University of Singapore.
"There is an urgent need to discuss decolonisation in the field of marketing. The discipline is Euro/Amero-centric and overlooks the majority world. This book makes a bold attempt to challenge the discipline's colonial roots. The volume makes a much-needed scholarly contribution to our understanding of decolonisation."
Professor Rohit Varman, Professor of Marketing, Birmingham Business School
“Written from the heart, this powerful collection sends a message to wake up and smell the colonial truth behind the modern-day marketing, of not just the coffee in your cup, but the car you drive and the phone you use. Nothing will taste or feel the same after you turn its pages”.
Professor Heidi Safia Mirza, UCL Institute of Education University of London
Author: Race Gender Educational Desire
Editor: Dismantling Race in Higher Education: Racism, whiteness and decolonising the academy
"A stimulating and insightful book that makes a valuable contribution to marketing theory and practice. It is not only refreshing but necessary to explore and learn about diverse Marketing principles and approaches in addition to the traditional, conventional, Western-centric assumptions and frameworks so that education, scholarship, and practice may truly grow, develop, and progress. Non-western viewpoints bring significant value too, and this book serves to expand the mind, and potentially influence behavior such that the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion is clear, and strides are made to make it a reality in marketing as a discipline.
“Decolonization” is a bad word for some, but all it really connotes is freedom for all. Instead of domination by Western perspectives, non-western contexts are also welcome to be an equal part of the discussion. In this way, no one is overlooked, and there can be true cooperation that results in the sharing of Marketing ideas and experiences, and thus the extending of knowledge so that together, we can all create and benefit from new paradigms for better long-term results. The book is a reminder that decolonizing marketing theory and practice takes genuine commitment and not surface-level support or performative advocacy. It is a reminder that when everyone is sincerely included, marketing can truly be transformative."
Simone T. A. Phipps-Prieto, Professor of Management, School of Business, Middle Georgia State University
Co-author: African-American Management History: Insights on Gaining a Cooperative Advantage
