An academic and expert in the history of Africa and the African diaspora, Professor Hakim Adi is at risk of termination by the University of Chichester, United Kingdom. News emerged last month—at the end of July—that the University has discontinued all recruitment to the master’s by research (MRes) course in the History of Africa and the African diaspora.
The decision by the University, according to reports, has angered current and past students who claim Professor Adi has paved the path for succeeding historians of African ancestry and other underrepresented populations in the UK. While the development came as a shock, the University defended itself by saying that the MRes in the History of Africa and the African Diaspora does not draw in enough students, which will maintain Professor Adi’s position.
The worrisome aspect of the issue is that the University seems not to be taking into consideration the withdrawal of the course in relation to the lecturer concerned. The withdrawal will inadvertently affect the position of the lecturer. Notwithstanding, the university’s spokesperson said that “the university had made the difficult decision to suspend or close a number of postgraduate courses that were not viable as the cost of delivery outweighed the income from fees received. The MRes in the History of Africa and the African Diaspora was suspended after a review by the curriculum planning committee.”
Stating further that “since the programme launched in 2017, the university has invested over £700,000 into the delivery of this programme but has only received £150,000 of tuition fees during this same time period,”
However, prior to the decision to withdraw the MRes course, Professor Hakim Adi was not consulted.
Who is Professor Hakim Adi?
Professor Hakim Adi is the UK’s first and only professor of the history of Africa and the African diaspora. He holds the position and is also an academic at the University of Chichester in the UK. He is an experienced personality in the field of history and has publications that “focus on the history of the African Diaspora in Britain, a relatively new subject for academic study, and in particular on the political history of West Africans in Britain and the influence of Communism and Pan-Africanism on anti-colonial activism”.
Professor Hakim is an author, historian, and activist. He is from Ekiti State, Nigeria, and is the founder of the Young Historians Project. Most of his works aimed to show that Africans and people of African origin have contributed significantly yet frequently go unnoticed to the history of Britain, in addition to the major connections that have been built between those on the African continent and its diaspora.
He became the UK’s first black history professor in 2015, and due to the necessity of having an international scope, his research on organisations like the West African Students’ Union sparked interest in other areas of African history in Britain in earlier centuries, as well as various facets of the Pan-African movement and the impact of communism on Africa and the African diaspora in the first half of the 20th century.
Apart from being the first British person of African descent to hold the position of professor of history in the UK, he is the author of “Pan-Africanism and Communism”, which examines the Communist International and its operations in Africa and among the African diaspora from 1919 to 1939, most especially in the United States, the Caribbean, Britain, and France. As one of the few historians who specialises in the history of the African diaspora, his works have led to numerous speaking engagements throughout the world, including in China and the USA.
His latest book, “Pan-Africanism: A History”, is the first examination of the Pan-African movement in the twenty-first century. He also has a book coming up for publication in September. The book is titled “African and Caribbean People in Britain: A History”, which will reveal the nexus of how black people have lived, worked, and prospered since the beginning of black history in the UK.
Professor Hakim Adi has devoted his entire professional and personal life to studying, teaching, and advocating for African history. He has been with the University of Chichester for more than a decade, even before the commencement of the MRes in 2017.
Reactions over the moves to “axe” his course and title
Reactions have been trailing the University’s decision, which appeared to have been apparently made overnight and without justification, to suspend recruitment to Prof. Hakim Adi’s course, Masters by Research (MRes), History of Africa and the African Diaspora.
Professor Adi revealed that he was shocked at the decision made by Chichester University, stating: “A unique course is being shut down—a master’s-level course in Britain, in Europe, in the world—that focuses on the history of Africa and the African diaspora. It is a course that was set up to train historians, especially those of African and Caribbean heritage, which is being lost, and there’s nothing to replace it.”
“It’s worth saying that not only for future students who won’t have the opportunity, but if I’m made redundant, my current Ph.D. and master’s students will have no one to supervise them as no one else in the university has that expertise.”
He further reiterated that the course is one of its kind in Europe and was one of the recommendations of the History Matters conference in 2015, supported by the University of Chichester.
“All the evidence we have is that the course is badly needed. It has produced six current Ph.D. students for the university and could produce even more if adequately advertised. It has recruited and has support in Britain, North America, Africa, the Caribbean, and even Asia.”
Also, as of August 5th, 2023, a petition on Change.org opposing Professor Adi’s proposed layoffs and suspension of the course recruitment has received more than 10,000 signatures, registering their displeasure about the move and demanding the restatement of the course.
The petition is demanding answers about the lack of transparency in this process, as the university took this action without consultation with Professor Adi.
The petition is being signed by members of the Black community, research community, and community of students, including academics, teachers, and practitioners, in condemning and seeking an explanation why the University has not deployed its full resources to market the course.
Also, in an open letter to the vice-chancellor of Varsity, Prof. Jane Longmore, they stated that the MRes was largely developed to orient mature students of African and Caribbean lineage as historians, and since its creation, MRes students have gone on to embark on studies at a Ph.D. level.
The implications of “axing” the course
The University of Chichester’s plan to make Professor Hakim Adi’s course redundant “is nothing but an attack on Black academia”, as opined by many activists.
Apart from activists’ opinions, discontinuing the course can have significant negative consequences, impacting both individuals and societies. This is because the course in history contributes to a deeper understanding of the rich and diverse history of the African continent. Stopping it would result in a gap in knowledge and cultural understanding, limiting the ability to grasp the complexities, contributions, and challenges that have shaped Africa’s past and present. It will hamper efforts to combat stereotypes, biases, and misconceptions about Africa.
Furthermore, if Professor Adi’s MRes in African history is stopped, students will miss out on valuable context for understanding broader historical and contemporary issues. This is because the course itself provides critical insights into topics such as colonialism, imperialism, decolonization, and social movements.
It is very pertinent for the University of Chichester to reconsider its moves because the course is crucial for fostering a well-rounded education that encompasses a comprehensive understanding of world history and prepares students to engage thoughtfully and ethically with the global community.
