On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Professor Kehinde Andrews, author of ‘The New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule the World’. He discusses how the Queen and the British royal family are the ‘premier symbol’ of white supremacy, the racist worldview that informed Enlightenment thinking and how it brought genocide and colonialism to the doors of people of colour around the world, their suffering being integral to the Industrial Revolution and the absence of this history from western curricula, and how the same forces of colonialism and racism still dominate the world today.
Statement from the UK Department of Education:
For background:
- We want every young person to benefit from a broad and balanced curriculum, which helps them to thrive and achieve their potential.
- Slavery and the industrial revolution can be taught earlier than A level, so all students have knowledge of the topic.
- Within the history curriculum there is a statutory theme at Key Stage 3 titled "ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745-1901", where colonialism, slavery and the industrial revolution can be taught.
- The history curriculum gives teachers, schools and colleges the freedom and flexibility to use specific examples from history to teach pupils about the history of Britain and the wider world at all stages. It is for schools and teachers themselves to determine which examples, topics and resources to use to stimulate and challenge pupils and reflect key points in history.
- We expect schools and colleges to make reasonable decisions about the content of their curriculum. It is important that schools take full responsibility for ensuring lessons and materials are age appropriate, suitable and politically impartial.
- The knowledge-rich curriculum in our schools offers pupils the opportunity to study significant figures from black and ethnic minority backgrounds and the contributions they have made to the nation, as well as helping them understand our shared history with countries from across the world.
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