Unsettling political science: Decolonial approaches to curriculum, theory, and practice in Bangladesh

This paper argues that decolonizing political science in Bangladesh is best understood as an institutional and epistemic governance challenge rather than a critique of Western theory. It introduces a diagnostic framework to identify curricular deference and methodological extraction through a close reading of the University of Dhaka political science curriculum and an analysis of the knowledge-policy environment shaping research agendas. The paper operationalizes decolonization using systematic indicators of sequencing, citation geography, methodological hierarchy, and language governance, and proposes a feasible reform pathway that links curriculum design, methods, language, and institutional incentives.