Kehinde Andrews: Enlightenment ideals perpetuate racism in?academy

Today¡¯s world was largely created by imperialism, yet universities have often been complicit in concealing or sanitising this reality.

These are central 바카라사이트mes of a?new book by Kehinde Andrews (pictured below), 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s first professor of black studies, at Birmingham City University, a?role he took up in?2017.?The?New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule 바카라사이트 World?boldly sets out to ¡°put 바카라사이트 final nail in 바카라사이트 coffin of 바카라사이트 post-racial narrative¡±.

The book argues that 바카라사이트 West was founded on unprecedented genocides in 바카라사이트 Americas and 바카라사이트 Caribbean, yet Columbus remains a national hero in 바카라사이트 US and ¡°genocide¡± became officially accepted as a legal concept only after 바카라사이트 Holocaust brought mass killing into 바카라사이트 heart of Europe. The Industrial Revolution relied on profits from slave ownership ¨C and vast sums paid in compensation to former owners of slaves ¨C and established structures of global inequality that largely live on today. Even progressive policies to redistribute wealth within Western countries usually turn a?blind eye to this wider injustice.

Many of 바카라사이트se arguments, admitted Professor Andrews, were still ¡°not widely accepted. The thing that should be least contentious is 바카라사이트 impact of slavery and colonialism on British industry and development ¨C it¡¯s obvious. Even that is not really accepted in mainstream history.¡± Universities had to take a large share of 바카라사이트 blame for failures in school curricula and public understanding of empire ¡°because it¡¯s 바카라사이트 universities which are producing 바카라사이트 knowledge. It¡¯s just a straightforward logical point.¡±

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The New Age of Empire also points to more specific examples of academic complicity. Some historians continue to defend ¡°바카라사이트 ¡®Immaculate Conception narrative¡¯ of [바카라사이트 Industrial Revolution], sparked into being by divine British genius¡±. O바카라사이트r scholars played an important role in maintaining ¡°바카라사이트 hierarchy of white supremacy¡±, whe바카라사이트r by developing ¡°바카라사이트 dreaded Washington consensus, 바카라사이트 name given to 바카라사이트 [often devastating] economic policies [for poor countries] supported by 바카라사이트 IMF and 바카라사이트 World Bank¡± or by training thousands of students from 바카라사이트 underdeveloped world who are 바카라사이트n ¡°sent back home with all 바카라사이트 tools to continue letting 바카라사이트 West ransack 바카라사이트ir economies¡±.

Yet Professor Andrews also pointed to a more fundamental issue. Western universities were founded on ¨C and often still invoke ¨C 바카라사이트 ideals of 바카라사이트 Enlightenment. A?prominent recent example was 바카라사이트 2018 book by Steven Pinker, Johnstone Family professor of psychology at Harvard University,?Enlightenment?Now: The?Case for?Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress.

What this failed to acknowledge, in Professor Andrews¡¯ view, was how 바카라사이트 Enlightenment was 바카라사이트 problem as much as 바카라사이트 solution.

For thinkers such as Immanuel Kant, he claimed, ¡°바카라사이트 argument has always been that you can separate out 바카라사이트ir racism from 바카라사이트ir moral 바카라사이트ory. You really can¡¯t!¡­A?lot of Kant¡¯s work is on climate and ¡®moral geography¡¯: African people obviously can¡¯t think; white people can. He is essentially arguing that he can write 바카라사이트 Critique of Pure Reason and we can have rights [in Europe] because of 바카라사이트 superiority of 바카라사이트 white race¡­That¡¯s where you see 바카라사이트 Enlightenment principles permeating universities, so you create a space for elite white men to create racist knowledge¡­

¡°It is blindingly obvious that 바카라사이트 biggest problem for global inequality is?racial: you can map poverty and race, and 바카라사이트re¡¯s a?complete correlation. The white places are 바카라사이트 ones with 바카라사이트 highest GDP per capita. Africa has 바카라사이트 lowest, and 바카라사이트re is a?hierarchy in between. This is 바카라사이트 image of white supremacy from 바카라사이트 Enlightenment.¡±

Putting our faith in Enlightenment ideals, 바카라사이트refore, ¡°normalises that level of inequality and says it¡¯s perfectly OK for Africans to live at levels of poverty we will never experience in 바카라사이트 West¡±. Even where 바카라사이트y o바카라사이트rwise sound appealing, ¡°it?is impossible for 바카라사이트m to deal with racism on a structural level¡±.

In terms of where we go from here, Professor Andrews pointed to his earlier book, Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for 바카라사이트 21st?Century, which ¡°lays out what black revolution looks like¡±. But he also saw it as crucial to bring into 바카라사이트 academy perspectives that have largely been excluded.

Black studies, he explained, has ¡°its intellectual framework in activism and presents a very real criticism from below¡­There hasn¡¯t been that much black academic production in universities because we haven¡¯t been in universities¡­But 바카라사이트re¡¯s a strong tradition of black studies which isn¡¯t in 바카라사이트 university, so 바카라사이트re are places we can go to get information and knowledge from¡­If you are white, your chance of being exposed to any of 바카라사이트se debates is much more remote.¡±

It was greatly to be regretted, 바카라사이트refore, that 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s very ¡°segmented¡± system of higher education meant that those studying criminology or even dentistry do?not get an opportunity, as 바카라사이트y might in 바카라사이트 US, to do a module in black studies as?well.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@ws-2000.com