Location
Wolfson Room, Institute of Historical Research
A conference to discuss why there are so few history students and teachers of African and Caribbean heritage.
Some disturbing facts:
- Last year only three Black students were admitted to train as History teachers
- Official statistics indicate that History is the third most unpopular subject among Black undergraduates
- During 2012/13 there were 1340 Black undergraduates studying History, 1.8% of the total
- At present it is estimated that there are less than 10 Black PhD students studying History in the country
- Why are so few Black students studying History?
- Why are there so few Black teachers of History in our schools?
- Why are there so few Black academic historians?
- Why do some young black people view History as just a ‘white middle-class pursuit’, when history is so popular at community level?
The History Matters Conference aims to explore these questions and to understand why such low numbers of Black students are engaging with History as a subject. Teachers, school and university students, as well as professional historians will convene to discuss their experiences of studying history and to suggest ways forward. Our objectives are to identify the reasons for this under-representation and to encourage more young black people to study history. We hope you can join us.
‘Only three black applicants win places to train as history teachers’, The Observer, 22 March 2014
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