Flying with the bird: A posthuman-a/r/tographic rethinking of decolonization.

This article rethinks decolonization through the theoretical framework of posthuman-a/r/tography, which integrates posthumanist philosophy with a/r/tographic methodology to explore relational and non-human perspectives. Initiated by observing a seagull on sʔi:ɬqəy̓ qeqən, a First Nations sculpture at the University of British Columbia, the inquiry challenges dominant human-centered views of decolonization by incorporating insights from avian visual perception, quantum physics, and artistic practice. The author argues that decolonization is an ongoing, entangled process involving multiple agencies—human and non-human—rather than a binary reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. This approach was extended pedagogically in a K–12 art classroom, where students engaged with non-human entities to co-create meaning, highlighting fluid identities and collaborative knowledge production. Ultimately, posthuman-a/r/tography offers an open-ended, imaginative pathway for understanding decolonization as a dynamic and relational becoming.