Toppling Statues and the Defenestration of Comparative Education.

The article critically examines the influence of decoloniality and critical race theory on the field of comparative education, highlighting recent debates over the discipline's historical narratives and scholarly traditions. It focuses on a controversial article by Robin Shields and Julia Paulson that calls for "toppling statues" of traditionally celebrated comparativists, accusing them of perpetuating colonial and racial biases, a claim challenged by other scholars who defend the field's intellectual rigor and historical complexity. The discussion situates comparative education within broader academic and political contexts, noting the adoption of radical ideologies by some related scholarly associations and the tension between advocacy and objective inquiry. The article also addresses concerns about editorial bias in academic publishing and warns of the global spread of decolonial ideology through educational institutions and international organizations.