论坛热议:大学须把应对种族主义作为当务之急

顶尖学者表示,大学必须在平等与多元化政策上投入与其他领域同等的努力

六月 20, 2020

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几位杰出学者日前表示,大学应该像对待提高学校排名或获得研究资金那样,认真严肃地对待平等和多元化政策。

西北大学(Northwestern University)历史学教授莱斯利·哈里斯(Leslie M. Harris)在6月19日由泰晤士高等教育举办的在线论坛上说:“我们必须重新思考,当我们想到一流大学时,我们所想的是什么。”

她说,最近几周席卷全球的反种族主义抗议活动 “是又一次时机,让我们有机会进行变革,而我们必须继续创造性地思考如何建立更公平的大学”。

哈里斯教授说,种族问题应当获得更多大学的重视和战略规划,就像大学都致力于争取进入大学排名前10或获取研究资金那样。然而,她继续说:“我想不出一家学术机构在多元化议题上的战略性规划可以与对这些其他事物的努力媲美。”

“很多大学想设立一个主管多元化事务的副校长或首席多元化战略官员,却不建立起我们所有共同解决问题的基础设施或学习机会。”

哈里斯教授说,她相信大学中的大多数人都真诚地呼吁改变,但是在“大学生活‘不出版就出局’的忙碌中,机构通常没能给予员工足够的时间来处理这些问题” 。

她说,要提升学术界的多元化和平等,需要采取“坚持不懈”的方针。

她举例说,学校应该鼓励院系重新设计和考虑其有关殖民主义的教学法。“我们一直都在这样做。当我们都转向Zoom进行网络教学时,我们就做到了,但我们很少……对此类计划进行战略规划。”

美国历史上最著名的黑人大学霍华德大学(Howard University)的校长韦恩·弗雷德里克(Wayne Frederick)对此表示赞同。 “系统性的种族主义是真实存在的。如果在其他地方没人说出这个真相,那么就必须在我们的大学中把它说出来。必须在久已未进行投资的社区中付出努力。那是即便令一些人不适也必须进行的对话。”

伦敦大学国王学院(King’s College London)国际事务副校长和种族平等领导与行动小组主席凡米·奥隆尼萨金(Funmi Olonisakin)说:“我们需要从现在开始对每所大学进行考察,并了解其(多元化和反殖民主义)计划和承诺。”

她说,英国大学需要“一个全国性的框架来约束自身”,尽管她承认大学在课程和评估方面经常需要跟随政府的领导。

奥隆尼萨金教授说,真正的转变“将是自下而上的”。“如果不承认历史上的不公正现象以及最近的不公正现象,我们就无法说服社区我们有责任使改变发生。”

她说,拆除专属于殖民主义者或奴隶主的雕像只是一个起点。她强调说“仅这一点是不够的”。

奥隆尼萨金教授说:“您会想要营造一个让每位员工和学生都有归属感的环境——这是提供课程的一项核心;这也是我们大学制度文化的核心,并且还有很长的路要走。”

她补充说,对课程设置进行反殖民主义化看起来似乎是政治性的,但其实应该将其视为权力问题。“我希望伦敦大学国王学院将会做的是,向新加入校园者教授文化能力,因此,每位来这里的学生或教职员工都能拥有通过他人的眼光看世界的能力。那将会改变一切。”

anna.mckie@timeshighereducation.com

本文由Liu Jing为泰晤士高等教育翻译。

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Reader's comments (4)

Fix problems not blame. Virtue signalling about 'decolonisation' and those at the lighter end of the cline of skin pigmentation beating themselves up over historic injustices suffered by those at the darker end may have a feel-good factor and even go towards quelling some of the shrill, but the imperative is one of humanitarian justice: that all individuals entering a university - as student or academic - should be treated exactly the same and judged on their ability, not the colour of their skin or their gender (or whatever irrelevant characteristic you care to name).
All non minority academic staff In all UK universities have their views about race and the extent of equality and diversity they will allow at all levels of their university system. No amount of logic, discussions or other comments will change the position and actions of the majority group simply because they were socialized across a number of years into those racist views and consequent actions. In other words racist views and indeed anthracite views are culturally embedded in those who carry them. Moreover, culture exerts a far stronger influence on individual behavior than level of Education and qualifications. Having aPh. D. Or D.B.A and having studied logic and being able to be engage in objective analysis of any issue does not increase the likelihood that such individuals will even care to show that they understand the positive effects getting rid of racism on their campuses. Of course they understand why racism is bad but they are culturally bound to continue to uphold racism because in every culture there are consequences for the individual/s who cares to defy cultural norms. However, if a government decided to deny research funding to such univertsities and Athena Swan disallows such universities from participating in its awards competitions and all UK Accreditation bodies with old program and institutional accreditation from universities when evidence and complaints of racism are found, then racism will decline and disappear. Until such time, such universities will never achieve not even 80% of their full potential and of course they will continue to communicate their support for equality and diversity. Those who want to end racism will do so those who don't will not and will remain in the throes of bounded rationality.
It sounds like students will have to get into more debt paying for more diversity and inclusion staff who use standards other than ability, interest and aptitude as course admission criteria.
Surely the only way to be fair to [insert minority of choice] is to be fair to everyone?