Goldsmiths, University of London has been accused of being “determined” to close its Black British literature course after selecting its co-founder for redundancy as part of a cost-cutting programme.
On Monday provisional redundancy notices were issued to 97 academic staff across 11 university departments, the Guardian understands, including Prof Deirdre Osborne.
The university did a U-turn in May and decided to maintain the programme for two years after a backlash from students and writers including the Booker prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo.
Catherine Rottenberg, a Goldsmiths University and College Union (GUCU) executive committee member, said: “What’s clear to me is that the media pressure worked initially to get them to at least commit to not closing the programme completely, but what’s also clear is that they’re determined to close these programmes.”
A spokesperson for Goldsmiths said the university remained “fully committed” to delivering courses after the recent review, including the Black British literature MA and queer history MA.
“Universities across the UK are having to make difficult decisions to navigate unprecedented financial challenges. This is a painful time for us all as we take steps to make our finances sustainable. We consulted staff and unions over our plans but unfortunately this did not result in viable ways forward which would have avoided or reduced the number of redundancies,” the spokesperson said.
Prominent writers and students have criticised the recent decision, raising concerns over how the programme will continue without its co-founder and the future of Black British literature in academia more broadly.
The publisher and editor Margaret Busby said she was “gobsmacked” after learning the university was making Osborne redundant, months after stating the course would be maintained.
“The MA Black British Literature should not be treated as a second-class citizen,” said Busby, Britain’s first Black female publisher.
“Why suddenly remove Prof Deirdre Osborne, who is already in place with those capabilities, if there is real long-term commitment to keeping and developing the course?
“As Toni Morrison said to me in 1988: ‘It’s not patronage, not affirmative action we’re talking about here, we’re talking about the life of a country’s literature.’”
Expressing her shock at the decision, the poet Patience Agbabi said the university was “shooting themselves in the foot”.
“These people have such a wealth of knowledge, such a depth and breadth of knowledge. It seems a very strange thing for a university to get rid of senior lecturers who are at the top of their game,” said Agbabi.
The writer Mendez said they were “sad” the programme has been under threat at all and called on the university to commit to finding new ways to entice students.
“Black British work is represented tokenistically at best on high school and A-level curricula. It is hugely important for all of us to feel empowered to study our history, our thinking and our literary art,” they said.
The actor, author and chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, Paterson Joseph, said: “Why would you cut a course that is the only Black British literature course in the world?
“The emotional thing that hits me is why is it so forgettable and negligible, this literature? Why is it not important to Goldsmiths or to other universities to study this work?”
Denise Rawls, a student who will be entering her second year in the programme this autumn, said she did not see how the course could “continue with any substance” without Osborne, who co-founded the world-first programme with Prof Joan Anim-Addo in 2015.
“Removing our professor, the woman who has literally written the books on Black British literature and is trusted by us all, is eliminating this unique course in all but name and saying Black British storytelling and academic study is unnecessary,” said Rawls.
