History lecturers at the University of Liverpool have been advised to “problematise” whiteness and heterosexuality in their seminars. The Telegraph has the story.
The advice has been given in guidance on how to “diversify” and “decolonise” the history curriculum, sent this week to academics at Liverpool – a member of the prestigious Russell Group universities.
But last night critics lambasted its recommendations as “ideologically driven” and “divisive”.
In the report, entitled ‘History Curriculum Diversity Audit’, staff are encouraged to “think creatively” about how they can bring questions of race and gender into the topics they teach.
Giving examples of how they might do so, the guidance asks them to consider: “Can a module that teaches exclusively about race relations do more to problematise and de-centre whiteness?”
The “diversity audit” also notes that there is a lack of “queer history” in the teachings on gender, while pointing out that there are no seminars “problematising heteronormativity” – a term which refers to treating heterosexuality as the norm.
Elsewhere, it tells history lecturers that it is not enough to simply include more BAME – meaning Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic – women or non-binary scholars on their reading lists.
They are directed that in addition they must discuss the diversity of the reading lists with their students on every module that is taught.
Teaching staff are further told that it is “essential” they make their seminars “safe spaces” because topics such as race and gender can be both “emotional” and “challenging” for students.
Meanwhile, department heads are urged to introduce compulsory training on “inclusive teaching” for all academics to help them “feel more comfortable initiating and managing such conversations”.
And we’re about to elect a Labour Government! God help us.
Worth reading in full.
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”You’re tired, but the Communists who want to destroy your system are not. They’re not tired at all…” A. Solzehnitzyn
This is what should be required reading, for obvious reasons.
Never have so few words been more appropriate.
Legend
I came across very moving programme notes for Shostakovich 7 by Mark Wigglesworth. This music was completed during the siege of Leningrad. Not long ago I took the opportunity of adding these notes to a YouTube of Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra playing the 7th. I felt compelled to do so because I could tell by the comments that many of the viewers had no idea of the astonishing and traumatic background to this piece. The notes describe how this symphony was as much if not more about the destruction of Russia by Stalin and how the siege as terrible as it was allowed people to express emotions. (https://www.markwigglesworth.com/notes/marks-notes-on-shostakovich-symphony-no-7)
I got a response from a Vladimir Nikoslkiy who was very critical and is obviously a revisionist.
Here is his opening criticism:
“…You are citing excerpts from an incomprehensible, unrecognized source. Who, most likely, drew his information from the books of Mr. Solzhenitsin and others like him.”
I contacted Mark to ask where he got his information from and he responded:
“A lot of my information comes from Shostakovich’s memoirs Testimony. I know the authenticity of this book is questioned by some who would prefer not to believe it. But with supporters for its truth being the musicians Rostropovich, Ashkenazy, Kurt Sanderling, and not least Maxim Shostakovich, I feel in good company! Books by Elizabeth Wilson and Ian MacDonald are also fabulous references for the meaning behind Shostakovich’s music….”
I responded to Nikoslkiy and shortly after the Youtube was removed.
They have waged war against us. Our response? To play nicely within the system they have imprisoned us within, but to show them we really mean business by voting for the posh chap from the obscure party. Yeah, that’ll really blood their noses.
Education used to be an asset, especially before the BS degrees..
I’d argue uni is still an asset for the stem subjects. This is complex stuff and pressure is needed to study it.
But I’d also argue that many of the ‘woker’ subjects do not deserve to be considered ‘degree’ material. Twitter/ tiktok is enough to get the knowledge.
It’s sad that my Comp Sci degrees are given similar weight to a degree in a rainbow subject. I think many of the employers I’m courting will recognise the difference, but I’ve seen many woke jobs with ludicrous salaries, sometimes close to my level but with people having far less skin in the game.
My work requires grit, grift and accurate thinking – incompetence leads to the waste of many thousands of pounds and can (rightfully) be career limiting.
Theirs requires nothing more than knowing the correct mantras/incantations, but requires very little nuance, skill or accountability.
Their plans didn’t work? It was the bigoted what foiled my scheme.
Conclusion: Let’s persecute the bigots!
I sympathise with you, you study a subject that makes you think and question, only to find that people who have a degree in the contemplation of navels earn as much if not more than you do. To make it even worse, the basic ‘woke’ subjects are now being taught at A level in preparation for the pupils to go on and study degree level wokeness at university. There is an excellent article on the subject in the current Spectator. I can only be thankful that I am no longer on the employment treadmill, being too old and far too grumpy, and that in my time I was able to employ proper scientists who were all far brighter and more knowledgeable than me. It made work a real pleasure
So you are talking about the bl**dy awful, BA, degrees,
Not all BA degrees, but yes the noddy degrees I’m referring to would be classed as ‘arts’.
Whatever “Gender Studies” is, it’s not a serious subject and it doesn’t require critical thinking.
My god make this insanity end. If anyone tried to take this shiiite down my throat it would override my naturally calm demeanour and end in bloodshed.
This racism violates the UK HR act of 1998 and various other laws around equality. Those laws only apply for non-whites of course. In the course of 70 years the communists and marxists have destroyed much of our civilisation and common sense.
No one should vote for ConLab ! Let’s crush them into the dust & Give their masters a bloody nose !!
Slightly Off-T but not massively so.
https://thenewconservative.co.uk/farage-islam-and-freedom/
An excellent article by Anne Marie Waters at thenewconservative and which rightly deserves a wider audience.
Ms Waters has been ringing the alarm bells about islam for a good few years and like Tommy Robinson she has been vilified for it.
“Islam is entirely unique and the left protects it like no other belief system. Why? Because the left absolutely loves Islam, and the more of it injected into the Western capitalist bourgeoisie, the better. Islam despises the West even more than the radical left. Its adherents are mostly brown-skinned, so they can play the racial oppression card, and crucially, for the left’s purposes, it is violent.”
Quite understandably she has a go at Farage for his failure to support her and Tommy Robinson and even condemn them.
“Farage’s words indicate that he doesn’t comprehend that Islam is a totalitarian belief system that uses violence to achieve its aims. That is in Islam’s DNA, there’s no getting away from it, and the only way to stop it destroying Britain is to stop Islamic immigration, deport thousands, and reassert commitment to freedom.”
I am in full agreement.
Have you read her book “Beyond Terror”?
Having all your soldiers using the same strategy isn’t usually wise.
If Farage projected very similar views to Waters, or even something much milder, he could easily have the same level of support as her, and the same exposure in the media. And they would be fighting for the same supporters, with the differences highlighted by the same media.
Just because you tell the Truth, doesn’t mean you win, especially when the West is in the middle of an information war, and the infiltration in our Establishment hasn’t been revealed, though Call-Me-Dave’s return should have raised eyebrows.
I went to Uni to get an education, not to spend my time being told my skin colour and sexual preferences were issues, no wonder the young are so confused!.
Clear, and incredibly obvious, racism and sexism. In a normal world they would be pilloried in any Court in the West. One wonders how these people even manage to come up with these ideas. There must be something in their heads that is simply not connected to a power source.
Personally, I think that black people who carry knives is a problem, not so many white people carry knives but those who do are a problem. Predominantly white football hooligans from Italy are a problem. I think black and white antisemitic people on marches every Saturday are a major problem. Modern slavery of people of all sexualities, colours and creeds is one of the biggest problems the world faces today.
How is this different to those examples? All of my examples are statistically provable, they define the characteristics of the statement. I do not lump everyone together on the basis of sexuality and / or colour.
Instead of claiming that historic slavery, caused largely by black people enslaving other people and selling them to all comers, including white people, is the problem, why doesn’t the university concentrate on wiping modern slavery out? That is far more of a problem than historic slavery because it is hidden and all around you.
Why is it that all evils are the fault of white people when, in fact, many of the greatest issues, including slavery, originate with black people? How did the Great Pyramids get built for just one example and what colour were the enslavers?
30 % of Greek city states and the Roman Empire were white slaves. 15% or more were white slaves in this country during the medieval era. Half of the US colonial pop in 1700 were white slaves some 300 K in total. Hamitics are not Black (re the pyramids), semites and whites were the prime sources of Hamitic slave labour.
I didn’t know about the Hamitics, thank you for that.
“How to think” was a great idea. But it has been replaced with “What to think”. I would like to speak to some white hetero people currently attending University to see what they think of this total crap. I get the impression they might just see it as “how things are” these days and maybe that it is only all about “fairness”. But this obsequiousness in the face of this assault on themselves and the western world is resulting in the destruction of their culture. This idea that “diversity is good” therefore implies that a lack of diversity is bad. Any group of people hat is not suitably diverse in line with the world view of the Cultural Marxists must be attacked, so what white hetero people attending University need to realise is that this has nothing to do with “fairness”, it is about sending them to the back of the room.
You’ve got to be seriously deranged to attend one of these woke indoctrination centres laughingly dubbed universities. Let alone pay upwards of £50,000 for it.
I posted the following on the article about schools and refugees and repeating here.
I was at Trinity College of Music in the late 1970s with a Martin Speake. He went on to become a brilliant Jazz Saxophonist. This year he was suspended from Trinity Laban because he wrote a private email where he disagreed with the stance of the College in regard to inclusivity and how BLM was being invoked to describe UK Jaz as Institutionally racist. I pointed out on a Trinity Facebook page that BLM are Marxist and received strong emotional responses followed by my removal. It seems students across the music colleges are demanding Martin’s suspension and he has lost some gigs as well. Here is one such demand from a ‘distressed musician’:
https://www.change.org/p/to-the-privileged-equality-feels-like-oppression
As a student at Trinity Laban, I have been deeply affected by the recent comments of Martin Speake. Comments that have perpetuated harmful and defamatory narratives about black musicians in the jazz industry. His lack of sensitivity for individuals of diverse races and backgrounds contradicts the principles that every educational institution should uphold. Furthermore his actions have created an uncomfortable and distressing learning environment, undermining my trust in his ability to provide fair and unbiased supervision or assessment.
The impact on my mental health has been significant, causing me great distress and discomfort within this learning space. Unfortunately, I am not alone in this experience.
Jazz is rooted in the African American experience and has been shaped and enriched by generations of black musicians whose talent and innovation have left an indelible mark on the genre. Martin’s behaviour undermines the contributions of black musicians and the idea that black musicians are overrepresented in the jazz industry overlooks the systemic barriers and challenges that black artists continue to face in the music industry. It is widely known that black musicians have encountered (and continue to encounter) discrimination, limited opportunities, and unequal access to resources compared to their white counterparts. The Musicians from the Global Majority Insight Report demonstrates that discrimination is still an unfortunate reality for musicians from the Global Majority, with 85% saying they had witnessed or experienced some form of discrimination.
We demand that Martin be removed from his position at our university immediately as his conduct and beliefs are inconsistent with the values and principles of the institution. This is essential not only for creating a safe and inclusive environment but also for upholding the university’s educational ethos around diversity, inclusion and providing an excellent student experience.
Sign here if you believe that all students deserve an education free from racial bias and for the immediate dismissal of Martin Speake from Trinity Laban.
There are several links to this story and most on the side of DIE (EDI, EID, DEI whatever) and most sound like how I would imagine a Red Guard would sound during a struggle session. There are currently two partitions for and against Martin. I know Martin and he is not only a brilliant saxophonist but a good person.
Please sign the following petition in favour of Martin
https://www.change.org/p/support-martin-speake
Please forward. The numbers on the petition to remove Martin’s hard won livelihood is over 700 while the petition supporting Martin only has under 500.