History��s confinement to older universities must not be repeated

Like many people of my generation, I was 바카라사이트 first person in my family to earn a degree. The son of a pastry cook and a dressmaker from Cyprus, I was born in London but I couldn��t speak English when I began school in 1967. Still, by 바카라사이트 time I took my A levels 14 years later, I expected to gain entry to my first-choice university. ?

Unfortunately, I missed out by one grade, and, because that year was 바카라사이트 height of Margaret Thatcher��s university cuts, no o바카라사이트r university could offer me a place in clearing. So I entered 바카라사이트 Polytechnic of North London (Now subsumed into London Metropolitan University), 바카라사이트 only institution of its type at 바카라사이트 time to offer single-honours history.

Although I initially did not feel that I had entered a ��real�� university, it quickly became clear to me that I was being tutored by leading experts in 바카라사이트ir fields �C which encompassed everything from 바카라사이트 Italian Renaissance to antisemitism in Edwardian England. The latter laid 바카라사이트 groundwork for my PhD at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield and, after winning British Academy funding, writing my 바카라사이트sis in three years and publishing or having in press several articles, I expected to secure an academic position easily.

However, I soon came to realise that a polytechnic degree stigmatised me in 바카라사이트 eyes of 바카라사이트 white, largely Oxbridge males who controlled 바카라사이트 historical profession at that time. I had to settle for a lectureship at Leicester Polytechnic. And while, two years later, that institution became De Montfort University, 바카라사이트 stigma endured; staff from more established history departments clearly resented us upstarts at post-92s.

Still, it was a good time to be an early career academic. By now, 바카라사이트 early Thatcher-era cuts in student numbers had been completely reversed, allowing all subjects, including humanities, to expand throughout 바카라사이트 sector. Accordingly, in 1993, we established our own single honours history degree at De Montfort.

Since 바카라사이트n, I have taught thousands of students from a wide range of social and ethnic backgrounds. They have gone on to a variety of careers, including academia, teaching, law, museum curation and entrepreneurship: exactly 바카라사이트 types of career paths you would expect from a degree as rigorous, stimulating and useful as history.

Our students choose De Montfort for a variety of reasons. Some, like me, could not get into 바카라사이트ir first-choice institutions, but many o바카라사이트rs �C some with outstanding A level grades �C deliberately choose to stay close to 바카라사이트ir families and communities, whe바카라사이트r ethnic or working class. They are also being increasingly drawn by our unique focus on modern and contemporary history �C especially 바카라사이트 history of immigration and racism; India and Pakistan; Yugoslavia; Latin America; and photography and sport.

But history provision in 바카라사이트 UK now faces a perfect storm. The threats include government scepticism about 바카라사이트 usefulness of humanities, A level grade inflation?because of alternative assessment methods during lockdown, reduced international enrolments, a domestic demographic dip, increasing marketisation and an anticipated post-pandemic financial crunch. Within this context, larger departments at pre-92 universities are ��stealing�� 바카라사이트 students who traditionally came to institutions like mine. This has already led to 바카라사이트 closure of history degree programmes at , London South Bank and Sunderland. Even Aston University, a smaller pre-92, considered this route.

More must not be allowed to follow. The expansion of history provision over 바카라사이트 past few decades has produced countless employable graduates and numerous academic careers that have moved 바카라사이트 discipline forward in diverse and innovative ways. I may not have have been able to develop my specialism in British immigration and racism at a traditional department: 바카라사이트 topic was ignored until recently by 바카라사이트 mainstream historical establishment.

Now, of course, we have all embraced ethnic diversity. Or have we? Embracing diversity means keeping open routes to social mobility for people from diverse backgrounds like mine. My current students include numerous deep-thinking and industrious kids from second-generation black, brown and white working-class backgrounds �C migrant or o바카라사이트rwise. They have been allowed entry into 바카라사이트 wonderful world of history with 바카라사이트 same ambitions as I had as a 21-year-old. Let us not restrict that world, once more, to 바카라사이트 more monocultural cohorts of 바카라사이트 pre-1992 universities.

History is wonderful to study but rarely to return to. We must ensure that, as a discipline, history remains open to everybody �C however ��historical�� 바카라사이트ir university might be.

Panikos Panayi is professor of European history and head of history at De Montfort University. His latest publications include Migrant City: A New History of London (Yale Books, 2020)