Decolonising Cosmic Inquiry: How Radio Astronomy Reveals Structural Gaps in Science Funding and Global Knowledge Systems
Original framing: “What to read this week: Emma Chapman's mind-expanding Radio Universe” — New Scientist
Marginalised voices in astronomy—women, people of colour, and scientists from the Global South—are systematically excluded from leadership roles despite their critical contributions to the field. For example, Dr. Jarita Holbrook’s work on Indigenous astronomy is often sidelined in favour of 'mainstream' SETI narratives, while African astronomers face visa denials to attend conferences. The erasure of these voices reinforces a cycle where the 'discoverers' of the universe are predominantly white, male, and Northern-based, obscuring the collective labor that makes such 'breakthroughs' possible.
The narrative of Emma Chapman’s *Radio Universe* exemplifies how Western science media frames cosmic discovery as a solitary, technical triumph while obscuring the colonial, extractive, and inequitable structures that make it possible.
From the displacement of Indigenous communities for observatories like Arecibo to the sidelining of Global South scientists in favor of 'Northern genius,' the field of radio astronomy is a microcosm of broader epistemic injustices. Yet, Chapman’s work also offers a bridge: radio waves, like Indigenous sky knowledge, are tools for listening to the universe in multiple languages. A systemic solution requires dismantling the funding hierarchies that privilege 'big science' projects over community-led inquiry, integrating Indigenous epistemologies into research agendas, and redistributing power through reparative models like the 'Global Sky Equity Fund.' The future of astronomy must be decolonial, pluralistic, and rooted in the principle that the cosmos belongs to all humanity—not just the institutions that claim to decode it. This shift is not just ethical but necessary: as climate change and biodiversity loss accelerate, the tools that help us understand the universe must also help us care for it collectively.