The Royal Historical Society published on 18th October a report on racial and ethnic inequalities in the teaching and practice of History in the UK.
The report draws on a survey of over 700 historians. Results show that, despite the popularity of history as a subject, BME students are less likely than their peers to choose History in examinations and university applications. As a result, only 11% of History students comes from BME backgrounds, compared to nearly a quarter of all university students. Diversifying contents and narratives is essential to engage BME students in History.
Academic workforce is even less diverse, in fact 96.1% of university historians are White. Black historians represent less than 1% of UK university-based History staff and, as Professor Margot Finn reported during her speech at the Heritage Debate, last week saw the first black female UK history professor elevated to a chair position. Also, one third of BME respondents had witnessed episodes of discrimination.
The report calls for urgent attention by universities to tackle exclusion and discrimination, particularly significant in History teaching.