Cambridge University is forced to 'decolonise' its English literature course after Lola Olufemi, Cambridge University Student Union's women's officer, penned an open letter titled 'Decolonising the English Faculty'.
Lola Olufemi (pictured with Labour MP Diane Abbott) is women's officer at Oxford University Students' Union and called for the English department to 'decolonise' the curriculum
Cambridge University English academics will be forced to replace white authors with black writers after agreeing to 'decolonise' the curriculum for students.
English Literature professors will now be required to 'ensure the presence' of Black and Minority Ethnic writers (BME) in their courses.
It came after Lola Olufemi, Cambridge University Student Union's women's officer, penned an open letter titled 'Decolonising the English Faculty'.
The letter, signed by around 150 university students, read: 'For too long, teaching English at Cambridge has encouraged a 'traditional' and 'canonical' approach that elevates white male authors at the expense of all others.
'What we can no longer ignore, however, is the fact that the curriculum, taken as a whole, risks perpetuating institutional racism.'
It also hinted at several of changes, including ensuring that all exam papers included 'two or more postcolonial and BME authors'.
Students at the university study a range of 'period papers' ranging from 1350 to the present day - including the works of Shakespeare.
But campaigners have argued that the English courses focus too much on white men and exclude female authors and those from black and ethnic minority backgrounds.
They have also claimed that it offers a perspective too shaped by colonial ideologies.
Minutes from the Teaching Forum's meeting earlier this month, seen by The Telegraph, showed what actions have been discussed by academics to address the students' concerns.
They included several practical proposals, such as an introductory lecture that would 'offer perspectives on the global contexts and history of English literature'.
Dr Priyamvada Gopal, a teaching fellow at Churchill College and member of the Teaching Forum, said the motion was a step forward.
'They are a good start and I'm glad to see the Faculty responding with attention and interest to a student-driven demand for change,' she wrote in an email.
'I think it is important, however, to view the 'inclusion' of postcolonial and BME texts not as an endpoint but the beginning of a discussion about what 'English literature' is and what exclusions it has always relied on.
'The curriculum first needs to make empire, race, identity more central than it has been – something students HAVE to engage with rather than are 'allowed' to engage with.
'Given British history, empire is central to understanding both texts and contexts. It's a 'white' issue as much as it is a 'BME' issue. That understanding must drive changes.'
English Literature professors at Cambridge will be required to 'ensure the presence' of Black and Minority Ethnic writers (BME) in their courses. Pictured: King's College
English Literature professors will now be required to 'ensure the presence' of Black and Minority Ethnic writers (BME) in their courses.
It came after Lola Olufemi, Cambridge University Student Union's women's officer, penned an open letter titled 'Decolonising the English Faculty'.
The letter, signed by around 150 university students, read: 'For too long, teaching English at Cambridge has encouraged a 'traditional' and 'canonical' approach that elevates white male authors at the expense of all others.
'What we can no longer ignore, however, is the fact that the curriculum, taken as a whole, risks perpetuating institutional racism.'
It also hinted at several of changes, including ensuring that all exam papers included 'two or more postcolonial and BME authors'.
Students at the university study a range of 'period papers' ranging from 1350 to the present day - including the works of Shakespeare.
But campaigners have argued that the English courses focus too much on white men and exclude female authors and those from black and ethnic minority backgrounds.
They have also claimed that it offers a perspective too shaped by colonial ideologies.
Minutes from the Teaching Forum's meeting earlier this month, seen by The Telegraph, showed what actions have been discussed by academics to address the students' concerns.
They included several practical proposals, such as an introductory lecture that would 'offer perspectives on the global contexts and history of English literature'.
Dr Priyamvada Gopal, a teaching fellow at Churchill College and member of the Teaching Forum, said the motion was a step forward.
'They are a good start and I'm glad to see the Faculty responding with attention and interest to a student-driven demand for change,' she wrote in an email.
'I think it is important, however, to view the 'inclusion' of postcolonial and BME texts not as an endpoint but the beginning of a discussion about what 'English literature' is and what exclusions it has always relied on.
'The curriculum first needs to make empire, race, identity more central than it has been – something students HAVE to engage with rather than are 'allowed' to engage with.
'Given British history, empire is central to understanding both texts and contexts. It's a 'white' issue as much as it is a 'BME' issue. That understanding must drive changes.'
English Literature professors at Cambridge will be required to 'ensure the presence' of Black and Minority Ethnic writers (BME) in their courses. Pictured: King's College
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