A critical analysis of criticism of the curtailment of critical race theory in the UK
What follows is an attempt to apply the techniques of structuralism to an article in The Guardian from November 2020. The report is on the letter sent by Institute of Education academics in response to the new Department for Education guidance banning resources “produced by organisations that take extreme political stances on matters”. (DFE, 2020).
Fig 1. Title and subtitle of the article — The Guardian (2020)
The article allies itself with the image of a reasonable and respectable academic. In carefully selecting political facts and palatable targets from the DFE guidance, it attempts to convince the reader of the necassity to critique this dangerous legislation.
The ‘academics speak out’ and ‘counter’ the ‘government attack’ and ‘crackdown’. This frames the following debate as a call for calm in the face of a vicious assault. The ‘senior’ and ‘experienced’ academics ‘speak out’ against the ‘proscibing’ legislation. Who better to warn us against the book burning of the totalitarian state?
Readers will be assured that what is being defended is ‘critical’, making it sound rational, scientific and a ‘theory’, which makes it sound established as a fact.
The main image shows a diverse group ‘kneeling’ in support of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ (BLM) movement. The act is submissive and passive, which is in contrast to the images of rioting and burning which accompanied protests that brought the movement to prominence. The passivity of the protesters, and their organised manner is certainly not deserving of the DFE (2020) prohibition of “illegal activities done in their name …. particularly violent actions against people or property”. The repeated references to democracy and open-discourse re-enforce this image.
Fig 2: An image of 2014 BLM protests, from the Guardian (2017)
Fig 3: The DFE guidance which is criticised in the article under review. DFE (2020).
The primary focus is on the proscription against “overthrow of capitalism” narratives, rather than the other kinds of materials or organisations that the DFE is banning. Marxist theory is still widely studied in academia. On The Left the atrocities and genocides associated with 20th Century Marxist-socialist revolutions are much less condemned than those of the ‘social experiments’ of their utopian cousins on the right.
Fig 4: A drawing of the Bridgewater Foundry (North West England) ca. 1840, representing industrial capitalism. Wikimedia Commons.
The importance of this debate is framed for the reader with facts of the current socio-political position. A time when ‘racism is on the rise’ and in case anyone forgot, there is a climate crisis. A convenient villain is invoked for clarity , the popularist (who can deny that Trump springs immediately to mind?). The old image of capitalism is updated for us; the faceless smog-spewing factory is replaced with a smug face, a member of the privileged capitalist elite, indifferent to suffering. It’s celebrated institutions have failed, their entire structure is corrupted and unjust.
Fig 5. A propaganda poster for the Russian Revolution. The Times (2017)
The Guardian conjures into being a re-definition of the Animal Farm story (Orwell, 1946), in which the Pigs indoctrinate the young farm-dogs as foot soldiers of their revolution. This new revolution is different. Replace the poster showing a dusty-faced, Slavic worker, strong, with hammer, in front of a red flag.
Hoist a green flag of organic, fair trade, vegan hemp. The smiling faces represent the whole spectrum of the family of humanity. They kneel together, holding leaflets, led by reason and theory. Do not mistake any white-faced, grey haired man among them for a popularist or a capitalist. He is reformed, repenting, admitting of his own privilege. Or perhaps a marxist academic, his electric car charging just around the corner. Nobody has to die this time.
Fig 6. The lead image of the article under review, The Guardian (2020)
Bibliography
Orwell, G. (1946). Animal farm: a fairy story. New York: The New American Library.
Barthes, R. (1975). “An Introduction to the Structural Analysis of Narrative.” New Literary History, 6(2), 237–272.
Weale, S. (2020). “Education experts counter government attack on critical race theory’, The Guardian: UK Edition, accessed Nov 19, 2021 .https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/nov/13/education-experts-counter-government-attack-on-critical-race-theory
(DFE) UK Department for Education (2020 Sep 24), “Guidance: Plan your relationships, sex and health curriculum; Information to help school leaders plan, develop and implement the new statutory curriculum.”, gov.uk, accessed Nov 19, 2021.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/plan-your-relationships-sex-and-health-curriculum#ensuring-content-is-appropriate
Imageography
Fig 2: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/17/black-lives-matter-birth-of-a-movement
Fig 4: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bridgewater_foundary.gif
Fig 5: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/discovering-the-power-of-propaganda-33mv77zh5
