Top universities also criticize “condemning colonialism” while stealing funds from the Chinese Communist Party
Half of UK universities promote radical and progressive ideas and practices rooted in Marxist ideology, according to a new report.
According to a new report from the think tank Civitas, all top universities have “embraced the wholesale, mutation, and conjugation of past radicalisms, including Marxism, postmodernism, feminism, Freudianism, and Maoism, and are largely publicized.” supported by public subsidies.
“Guide to Radical Universities” (pdf), author of the report, Richard Norrie, also criticized the university for “condemning colonialism” and said the CCP was “engaged in modern colonial disputes and accusations of genocide,” I receive money from the Communist Party of China.
Norrie created a ‘radical progress’ league table of 140 UK universities, with the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Bristol at the top of the table.
He used evidence from media reports and university websites to examine how prevalent measures such as the use of “trigger warnings” are. Some scholars put warnings on the syllabus or at the beginning of lectures warning students that the content may be “distracting.”
Such warnings are used by the University of Greenwich because Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Rhyme of the Ancient Sailor contains scenes of “animal death and supernatural possession.”
Critics such as sociologist Frank Freddy describe such warnings as “part of the process of turning students into patients.”
Norrie also explored the propaganda of controversial concepts such as “white privilege” and the need for students to prove they are “anti-racist.”
trigger warning
According to the report, 87 of the 140 universities had trigger warnings, content warnings, or references to “content notes.”
79 universities mentioned “white privilege” in the guidance and websites provided to staff and students.
Additionally, 82 colleges and universities offered materials, training, or resources on “anti-racism” on their websites.
The report also revealed that 117 universities have significant links with China. Mainland China campuses and offices. A doctoral program sponsored by the Chinese government.
“A strong correlation has been demonstrated that the more elite a university is, the more radical and progressive it is,” Norrie added. But he also found that universities tended to be more radical and progressive.
According to the analysis, six of the top 20 most radical and progressive universities have so-called Confucius Institutes, which have been accused of being China’s state propaganda tools.
When his unsuccessful attempt to take office in July, current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a number of hawkish China policies, including the closure of all 30 Confucius Institutes in the UK.
Norrie rated Cambridge University as “the most radical and progressive university” and noted that it receives millions of pounds in endowment and research grants from Chinese sources, including Huawei.
2019, Cambridge also requested a report It explores the historical relationship with slavery and finds that universities play a role in “educating the sons of wealthy slave owners” and “benefits based on income from the slave trade”.
“At the same time, it denounces money that may have been obtained from the slave trade in the past, and hastily removes relics no matter how relevant,” Norrie said.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
“Nolly’s work is rock solid,” Professor Eric Kaufman, a leading authority on academia’s cancellation culture, told the Epoch Times in an email.
“He found evidence to support it. [diversity, equity, and inclusion] (Cultural socialism) ideology prevails in our universities. Especially the elite,” he said.
Last November, Kaufman wrote a report for the conservative think tank Policy Exchange, arguing that British education is as ideologically captured as American education.
He found that the majority of UK school dropouts, 59%, were told or heard about ‘white privilege’, ‘unconscious prejudice’ or ‘systemic racism’ by adults in school. I found that you said that there is something. Critical race theory.
In December, Kaufman and other free speech advocates said the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, a law designed to protect free speech on college campuses, would allow academics and students to enter higher education. After submitting an amendment requiring compensation to be sought only at institutions, it warned that it risks being gutted. Court is a last resort.
“The final form of the higher education bill has not been decided, so statutory tort[the right to sue]is still under consideration,” Kaufman said.
Some publications report that: Professor Arif Ahmed of Cambridge University He is known as the country’s “Free Speech Tsar”. In that role, he oversees, monitors, and combats censorship, canceling culture across campuses.
“I think appointing Arif Ahmed as Academic Freedom Emperor will also be important in cracking down on non-compliant speech rules,” Kaufman said.
“What worries me is that the bill does not explicitly ban political bias, it only bans speech suppression. It’s not clear,” Kaufman added.
The “Therapeutic Culture” of “Radical Progressivism”
Dennis Hayes, president of Academics for Academics Freedom (AFAF), told The Epoch Times in an email that the Civitas report merely scrutinized public records and actually underestimated the problem of “radical progressivism.” He said he acknowledged that he may be evaluating.
“They underestimate the problem, and a more detailed analysis of the curriculum documents shows this. It highlights many programs that need to incorporate elements of racism,” he said.
Hayes said the report did not cover the need for academics to undertake “unconscious bias” training before engaging in the recent research excellence framework.
He said this means that all academic researchers must be trained in case they have an “unconscious bias” about race, gender, or what their trainer thinks. rice field.
He said there are many other examples of “radical progressivism” like the “crossing theory”, which he describes as “a form of competing to see which group is allegedly hurt the most.” bottom.
This can be seen in many initiatives such as: Athena Swan Charteran initiative by Advance HE, a university professional body, to transform gender inequality in universities and college and college union initiatives.
Hayes had a simple answer as to why top-tier universities seem to promote a “therapeutic culture” of “radical progressivism.”
“In a culture where being a victim gives status, the most privileged student has to grapple with issues that allow him to wear the victim’s badge, or the victim’s advocate badge. Hmm.”
“That’s why privileged students in privileged backgrounds launch silly campaigns like triggering warnings on classics, renaming buildings, and trying to tear down statues. It’s an expression of their guilt over their own privilege,” he added.
“As the AFAF argues, the way forward is not only to attack this gradual training that universities sometimes demand, but where training involves controversial issues, it is approached through discussion and debate. There are pros and cons about things like ‘cross-reactivity,'” Hayes said.
The Epoch Times has reached out to the University of Cambridge for comment.
Lily Zhou contributed to this report.
Owen Evans is a UK-based journalist with a particular interest in civil liberties and free speech, covering stories from a wide variety of countries.