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
The original framing omits the colonial history of radio astronomy, such as how European astronomers exploited Global South skies (e.g., South Africa’s SKA site) while excluding local expertise; it ignores Indigenous astronomical traditions (e.g., Aboriginal Australian 'songlines' mapping the Milky Way) that predate Western radio telescopes by millennia; it fails to critique the extractive funding models that prioritise 'sexy' projects like SETI over foundational research in the Global South; and it neglects the voices of scientists from marginalised backgrounds who face systemic barriers in the field.
Low structural omission detected in mainstream coverage.
The narrative is produced by *New Scientist*, a publication embedded in Western scientific institutions (e.g., UK-based, aligned with elite research councils) and serves the interests of technocratic science communication, which prioritises individual genius narratives over systemic critiques. The framing obscures how astronomy’s colonial legacies—such as the displacement of Indigenous communities for observatory construction (e.g., Mauna Kea) or the sidelining of Global South scientists—reinforce epistemic hierarchies. The focus on 'mind-expanding' individualism (Chapman as a singular 'hero') distracts from the collective, often marginalised, labor that makes such discoveries possible.
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.