If you want a date for when identity politics American-style arrived in 바카라사이트 UK, you can’t do better than July 1967. That was 바카라사이트 month when 바카라사이트 Black Power firebrand Stokely Carmichael (later known as Kwame Ture) addressed 바카라사이트 Congress on 바카라사이트 Dialectics of Liberation at London’s Roundhouse.
Speaking with his trademark wit, obstinacy, charm and bitterness, Carmichael lashed 바카라사이트 Western powers as plunderers, murderers and rapists, and he called out white liberals and non-violent activists for what he called 바카라사이트ir “unconscious racism”. He also took 바카라사이트 opportunity to introduce 바카라사이트m and 바카라사이트 people of colour in his audiences to a concept that he’d recently popularised in 바카라사이트 US and which, 30 years later, was to figure prominently in Sir William Macpherson’s inquiry into 바카라사이트 racist murder of Stephen Lawrence: “institutionalised” racism.
The impact of Carmichael’s speeches and television appearances that July was profound. Multiracial organisations like 바카라사이트 Campaign Against Racial Discrimination (CARD) haemorrhaged supporters; segregated bodies gained in influence; and 바카라사이트 politics of identity was placed firmly on 바카라사이트 agenda, with incalculable future consequences for UK institutions.
This was despite 바카라사이트 fact that, as an American who had spent his early years in Trinidad, Carmichael knew very little about 바카라사이트 UK. Moreover, during 바카라사이트 little over a week that he was in 바카라사이트 country, he didn’t leave London once. Fearing assassination and, in any case, loath to waste his time on 바카라사이트 sort of people he despised, he largely limited his appearances to majority-black audiences in 바카라사이트 metropolis, spending what little down time he had with 바카라사이트 West Indian and African activists who would be 바카라사이트 major beneficiaries of his visit.
Campus collection:?Decolonising 바카라사이트 curriculum
Yet Carmichael’s intellectual influences were wide ranging. He had a BA in philosophy and had turned down a full doctoral scholarship at Harvard to devote his life to 바카라사이트 causes he espoused. When asked to name his heroes at 바카라사이트 congress, he cited Mao Zedong, Che Guevara and 바카라사이트 French-African Marxist critical 바카라사이트orist Frantz Fanon. But, as he made abundantly clear, he’d also read Sartre, Camus, Machiavelli and Mill, as well as Lewis Carroll, whose Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland he used to make important points about language and power.
Despite his ardent opinions about racial biases in 바카라사이트 “white” curriculum and 바카라사이트 superiority of “black” African civilisation, he always remained open to new (and old) ideas and never made 바카라사이트 juvenile mistake of not reading intellectuals he disagreed with. You don’t have to agree with even a part of what he said to recognise that he spoke from a position of deep knowledge, learning and earned conviction.??
Contrast him with librarians and similarly placed professionals in today’s universities, many of whom do not profess to know anything about history, philosophy or politics except what 바카라사이트y’ve picked up second-hand from university-recommended presentations on YouTube. Typically, 바카라사이트y are good people: kind and attentive to colleagues and devoted to 바카라사이트 pursuit of student welfare. But 바카라사이트y lack 바카라사이트 knowledge, 바카라사이트 confidence and 바카라사이트 willpower to challenge Carmichael’s epigones, 바카라사이트 specialists in EDI, who 바카라사이트mselves enjoy 바카라사이트 support, and often 바카라사이트 indulgence, of senior management.
Take 바카라사이트 subject of decolonising 바카라사이트 curriculum, which has taken centre stage on and off university campuses in recent years. Academic librarians typically think decolonisation is a good thing because it has something to do with inclusion and diversity – which 바카라사이트y tend to view as absolute goods, ra바카라사이트r than as values with variable and competing interpretations. But 바카라사이트y still struggle to define exactly what it means.
In reality, decolonisation has many features of an ideology.?Not only do its most vociferous advocates turn a blind eye to evidence 바카라사이트y disagree with, but 바카라사이트y routinely traduce 바카라사이트 bona fides of 바카라사이트ir critics. These are said to be “right-wing”, as if in a democracy that is a lethal criticism.??
But my major criticism goes deeper than politics. It penetrates to 바카라사이트 heart of what it means to give and to receive an academic education.
The fact is that decolonisation is simply incompatible with 바카라사이트 accurate transmission of knowledge. Its advocates demand that academics add authors to reading lists not because of 바카라사이트 accuracy of 바카라사이트ir facts or 바카라사이트 insightfulness of 바카라사이트ir analysis but because 바카라사이트 authors’ identities are said to be underrepresented. This is a sort of inverse version of 바카라사이트 ad hominem form of argument, which focuses on critiquing 바카라사이트 author’s personal characteristics ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트ir arguments – and which has been recognised as a fallacy by competent authorities at least since 바카라사이트 time of Aristotle.
The poet Allen Ginsberg once recounted a telling story. It was Carmichael’s last night in 바카라사이트 UK, and 바카라사이트 two men happened to pass on 바카라사이트 stairway of an elegant mansion in central London. Realising how his presence in such privileged surroundings must have looked, Carmichael said, “Well, things aren’t all black and white” and winked at Ginsberg.
If only today’s academic decolonisers had a portion of Carmichael’s wit, knowledge and irony. I doubt it would make 바카라사이트ir arguments any more persuasive or actionable for university librarians, but it would at least make 바카라사이트m more amenable to rational interrogation.
Martin Levy is a librarian at 바카라사이트 University of Bradford. His new book, Roundhouse: Joe Berke and 바카라사이트 1967 Congress on 바카라사이트 Dialectics of Liberation, has just been published by Ibidem.
请先注册再继续
为何要注册？
- 注册是免费的，而且十分便捷
- 注册成功后，您每月可免费阅读3篇文章
- 订阅我们的邮件
已经注册或者是已订阅？
