Leading academics have savaged right-wing historian David Starkey's post-riot comments about race in which he said the problem was "whites have become black".
Leading academics have savaged right-wing historian David Starkey’s post-riot comments about race in which he championed Enoch Powell and said the problem was “whites have become black”. In a letter to the Times Higher Education magazine, more than 100 historians have asked the BBC to cease describing Dr Starkey as a “historian”, saying he is “ill-fitted” to pontificate under that title.
The signatories, who include Paul Gilroy, professor of social theory at the LSE; Steven Fielding, professor of political history at Nottingham; Richard Grayson, professor of 20th-century history at Goldsmiths; Tim Whitmarsh, professor of ancient literatures at Oxford; and scholars from Harvard, Winnipeg in Canada and Jawaharlal Nehru University in India, write:
“His crass generalisations about black culture and white culture as oppositional, monolithic entities demonstrate a failure to grasp the subtleties of race and class that would disgrace a first-year history undergraduate.
“In fact, it appears to us that the BBC was more interested in employing him for his on-screen persona and tendency to make comments that viewers find offensive than for his skills as a historian. In addition to noting that a historian should argue from evidence rather than assumption, we are also disappointed by Starkey’s lack of professionalism on Newsnight.
“Instead of thoughtfully responding to criticism, he simply shouted it down; instead of debating his fellow panellists from a position of knowledge, he belittled and derided them. On Newsnight, as on other appearances for the BBC, Starkey displayed some of the worst practices of an academic, practices that most of us have been working hard to change.”
“In our opinion, it was a singularly poor choice… The poverty of his reductionist argument… reflected his lack of understanding of the history of ordinary life in modern Britain. It was evidentially insupportable and factually wrong.
“The problem lies in the BBC’s representation of Starkey’s views as those of a ‘historian’, which implies that they have some basis in research and evidence: but as even the most basic grasp of cultural history would show, Starkey’s views as presented on Newsnight have no basis in either.”
Owen Jones, the leading left wing author left dumbfounded by Starkey’s remarks on Newsnight, had described him as “like Enoch Powell meets Alan Partridge”; as Left Foot Forward’s Daniel Elton wrote of Starkey:
“Such an outlook is historically and cultural ignorant. It may be not too far to suggest that it is wicked and has the capacity to be incredibly destructive. And anyone who espouses it should be ashamed of themselves. Starkey would do well to listen to the petitioners and apologise.”
79 Responses to “Starkey’s race theories “would disgrace a first-year undergraduate” say academics”
Jim Brewster
Cant believe articles are still being published on this crap, Write about something new you bloody morons. Problem with the media in this country they dwell on topics way too long.
superman
This is just intellectual dishonesty from the Left. If you look at the skinhead and mods subcultures then you’ll find that they were indeed influenced by Jamaican Black culture.
What about Ali G? He was supposed to be a parody of the wigger-chav subculture in Britian.
Mr Starkey clearly wasn’t the first to pick up on the idea that certain bad elements of Black culture were being widely adopted and emulated. He’s just being targeted because he fits the politically correct profile of a conservative, old-aged, White man.
If all the Left can do is bring sound and fury instead of actual evidence and historical references then this ceases to be an intellectual debate in a democratic country.
Robert
Superman must have crashed on his head once two often…..
superman
@ Robert, your disparaging remark hold little substance and much venom.
If you disagree with what I say, then at least have the sense to bring some reasons as to why you don’t agree.
Owen Jones
Starkey's race theories "would disgrace a first-year undergraduate" say academics: http://t.co/1OgIv6e < @OwenJones84 pls RT