Postgraduate Students

George Floyd Case: School of History, Classics and Archaeology Statement

A statement from the School on the death of George Floyd.

The School of History, Classics and Archaeology shares the grief and outrage at the killing of George Floyd and utterly condemns the police violence used against him. We join the worldwide demands for accountability and justice; we will not stand by when our neighbours are harmed and in pain. We associate ourselves fully with the statement issued by the University of Edinburgh:

We stand in solidarity with George Floyd’s family and all those the world over who declare ‘Black Lives Matter’.

In Scotland, as in the United States, Black, Asian and ethnic minority people are subjected to racism, harassment and violence. 

We are keenly aware that racism operates at both the institutional level and in popular forms. The impact of COVID-19 on people from BAME communities has graphically demonstrated this fact. The School is committed to addressing both areas in an active and meaningful way. Understanding the critical importance of the past and its legacy, we have addressed our curriculum to integrate the teaching of non-western history and the history of colonialism, ‘race’ and racism across our degree programmes. We have actively sought to recruit more academic staff from BAME backgrounds. These are humble steps but ones we believe have made our School a better place for staff and students. We recognise there is a still a long way to go, particularly in attracting more BAME students to the School, in employing Black academics, and offering more content on Black British History within our curriculum. But as a School we are deeply committed to advancing the Equalities Charter of the University and working to combat racism and to improve inclusion and diversity.

 

Professor Ewen Cameron, Head of School

Dr Talat Ahmed, Equality & Diversity Director

Professor Diana Paton, William Robertson Professor of History

Dr Fabian Hilfrich, Head of History Subject Area

Dr Lucy Grig, Head of Classics Subject Area

Dr Manuel Fernández-Götz, Head of Archaeology Subject Area

Professor Frank Cogliano, International Dean (North America)

 

Related links

University of Edinburgh Statement

RACE.ED - cross university hub for research and teaching on race and ethnicity

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion