While the MRes program on African history and diaspora in the University of Chichester gained recognition through word of mouth and social media, it faced a setback in May 2023. The MRes program was suspended on the pretext of low recruitment numbers, a move that sparked global outrage.
The United Kingdom is far from effectively addressing racism through transformative education, according to Professor Hakim Adi, the CEO of African Heritage UK. On the eve of the UN-designated International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, Adi criticized the lack of progress in combating racism’s legacy and the need for genuine educational reform.
This year’s theme for International Day, “Fighting slavery’s legacy of racism through transformative education,” highlights the importance of education in combating the resurgence of white supremacist hate. The UN Secretary-General emphasized the power of education as a tool to counter racial discrimination earlier this year.
Five years ago, the University of Chichester took a bold step in this direction by establishing a groundbreaking Master’s Degree by Research in the History of Africa and the African Diaspora. The program aimed to not only present this crucial history but also to train students as historians to independently research various aspects of this history. An additional focus was on attracting students of African and Caribbean heritage, who are underrepresented in British universities.
The MRes program was initiated after the 2015 History Matters conference held in London, which addressed the underrepresentation of young people of African and Caribbean heritage in history education. The conference’s recommendations included creating a course that would encourage alienated individuals to return to education, engage in research, and become historians. This led to the establishment of the MRes program at the University of Chichester.
Although primarily designed for students of African and Caribbean heritage, the online nature of the MRes program attracted students from around the world, including Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the US, Canada, and Britain. Notably, the program inspired seven students to pursue PhD research, fostering a robust cohort of postgraduate history students, predominantly of “Black British” background.
The MRes program gained recognition through word of mouth and social media, rather than extensive university publicity. However, this groundbreaking initiative faced a setback in May 2023. The University of Chichester revealed that it was reviewing all taught postgraduate degrees due to financial constraints arising from inadequate government funding. The MRes program was suspended on the pretext of low recruitment numbers, a move that sparked global outrage.
The University’s actions prompted a worldwide petition, which garnered over 11,000 signatures, and legal action by the affected students against the university. The suspension ironically generated more publicity for the MRes program in three weeks than it had in five years.
Adi lamented that these events reflect a lack of progress in addressing racism through transformative education, despite the UN’s recommendations. He highlights that the MRes program, while unique in Britain and Europe, was not alone in facing challenges. Other history programs focusing on African and Caribbean heritage have also been discontinued in previous years. Adi himself faces redundancy for the second time in his career as a specialist in this field.
As the world approaches the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, Adi underscored the significance of the Haitian Revolution of 1791. The revolution, which saw enslaved Africans and their allies triumph over European powers, remains a symbol of abolition and anti-racism. He notef that the MRes program’s study of history began with this momentous event, highlighting the transformative potential of united human efforts to advance the cause of justice.
