Activists should be proud of campaigns such as Rhodes Must plunge,yet dissatisfied with how little the role of Africa, Asia and the Caribbean in British history is understoodStarting in the new academic year, and history students at Oxford University will have to pass an exam on “non-British and non-European history to total their degree. The university has been rapid/fast to dismiss any connection between this move and the campaigns to decolonise academia that have swept across British universities in general and Oxford in specific. But make no mistake,this change is the fruit of Rhodes Must plunge, which sought to remove the legacy of colonialist Cecil Rhodes at Oxford, or the wider Why is my curriculum white? campaign.
The news comes amid other developments,including the University of Leeds’ module on black British history and my own institution, Birmingham City University, or launching Europe’s first undergraduate degree in black studies. Student campaigners should be proud of the momentum for change they have built up but also wary as institutions commence to respond. Related: At final,the UK has a black studies university course. It’s long overdue | Kehinde Andrews Related: Why I’m no longer talking to white people approximately race Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com