Wouldn’t It Be Great if the UK Curriculum Could Include More Diverse Cultures and Ideas?
Global history and literature is more important than ever in our current world. Not only is it important in a high-brow sense in terms of understanding the global, political landscape, but it also explains our everyday lives with our increasingly transnational and globalised cultures. My experience studying World History at the University of Cambridge, following an undergraduate history degree at the University of Oxford, has taught me how central global history and literature is to our modern lives. It also taught me that an Anglo-centric or, at best, Eurocentric, approach to history and literature is a trope inherent to our current British education system and is something that inhibits our curriculum to reach their fullest potential. The grand sum of my education in World history at school was studying the Mughal Empire for a single lesson and I remember wanting to go into far more detail.
The current curriculums place primary emphasis on British history and literature. In 2014, Education secretary Michael Gove changed the curriculum in schools, taking out American literature such as Of Mice and Men, and replacing it with a British focus on authors such as Shakespeare and memorising passages from the Bard. The A-level course does, however, have more variety than is given credit. The Edexcel English A-level, for example, has an option for ‘Colonisation and its Aftermath’, which asks students to study texts such as the Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and A Passage to India by E M Forster. Whilst undoubtedly important in terms of expanding students global horizons, the texts themselves are relatively Anglo-American centric and do not explore the colonisation, the subject of the module, from the perspective of those who have lived under colonialism. Books such as Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie would perhaps demonstrate a greater diversity of viewpoint and allow students to challenge their own values and stances on the world. Moreover, as Britain is a country with such as complex and, at points, difficult history, the inclusion of authors that write from a non-British standpoint could encourage students to be increasingly analytical towards supposed ‘truths’ presented to them in the news, literature and even in their lessons.
The history curriculum shows a similar trend. The AQA syllabus importantly highlights that students need to study the history of more than one country, study a British history option and study a non-British history option. The emphasis on having a non-British module allows students to fully engage with the dynamics and history of our interconnected world. However, the modules for the first half of the history course are highly Western-centric. Whilst including an array of countries, the options include topics such as ‘Spain in the Age of Discovery, 1469-1598 to ‘The Making of a Superpower, 1865-1975’. This goes far beyond a 20th century history education of just reciting British Kings and Queens, yet still retains a focus on Western culture and material, with little to no engagement with Asia, Africa, South America and Australasia. Whilst AQA would perhaps argue that the reason for doing so is the lack of sources that could be understood by students in English, there is definitely for greater emphasis on translation and even using English sources from a greater geographical region. The only topic that AQA had that was not based on Western culture was ‘The Transformation of China, 1936-1947’. Exploring the rise and fall of Maoist China and offering an insight into a completely different political, cultural and even linguistic society, the module demonstrates the importance of history in truly understanding one’s own society. With the rise of China as a global superpower, modules such as the ‘Transformation of China’ suggest the importance of focusing outwardly.
Our globalising world means that students will inevitably come across people of different cultures and walks of life to them. A detailed knowledge of political, social and cultural history can allow better relationships to develop, encouraging tolerance and respect for other cultures. Moreover, by providing a diverse array of literature and history at school, it encourages imagination amongst children and inspires students to engage with other cultures and even travel to them. These experiences are vital in terms of individuals becoming reflective of their own societies and helps to reduce xenophobia or prejudice against other cultures. Regardless of whether students wish to be historians or writers, a better understanding of the world will aid them greatly in later life. As technology grows, there are increasing interconnections across continents, so learning about other cultures can help to improve interpersonal relationships.
Whilst learning about global history and literature can be helpful to engage with our increasingly international world, it also is empowering to students in Britain. The UK, and especially its cities, has one of the most diverse populations in Europe. Learning about global literature and history therefore empowers those who are not part of the mainstream literature of early modern and modern period which is predominantly written by a British, white and male writer. For students who have relatives that have migrated to the UK, the current curriculum fails to highlight the diversity of their experience and explore the literary and historical heritage of their backgrounds. By incorporating global works into the UK curriculum, students would be feel more listened to and perhaps allow them to engage more deeply in their personal history. The literature of writers such as Salman Rushdie also convey beautifully a complex experience of colonialism and therefore encourage students of all backgrounds to grasp and empathise with impact that colonial rule had on the daily lives of Indians. Conversely, for students not from a similar background, it would allow them to appreciate the history and literature of their peers and entertain more greatly ideas of tolerance and respect for other cultures.
Moreover, global history and literature is especially poignant to students in Britain because of Britain’s colonial legacy. The British empire was a hugely disruptive force that had, and still has, global implications. Whilst AQA offer a single course on the British Empire, the fact that it is not a core part of any A-level course demonstrates that the British education system has much to do in order to acknowledge its colonial past. In a time where university students are carrying out campaigns such as Rhodes Must Fall and there are widespread campaigns to decolonise the curriculum, the curriculums should try and inform students of the impact of the British empire across the globe. Whilst historical periods like the Tudors remain interesting, subjects like Britain’s colonial past need to be tackled in order to present students with a more holistic understanding of the history of the country they are living in. A move by the government in 2008 called for all schools to teach a history of slavery and colonisation. This history and literature retains its importance.
The skills gained from studying global history and literature requires greater mental flexibility and comparative skills. Thinking globally encourages comparison and analytical thinking. Global history is not simply the history of extra-Euroepan countries but also looking at the migratory networks, diasporas and cultural interactions across the globe. As most students are familiar with their own country’s history, studying history and literature more broadly facilitates wider discussions and comparisons to their own way of living. For example, the ‘Transformation of China’ module by AQA informs students of the differences of Chinese history to British history. China, in the twentieth century, saw the rise and fall of the Communism, a vastly different political system. These differences hone student’s analytical abilities as they are introduced to concepts such as the Cultural Revolution, which demonstrate interesting yet profoundly different histories of global powers. These analytical skills of comparison are valued by universities and employers alike.
An important caveat to acknowledge is that much of global history and literature is not linguistically accessible. At high school, it would be difficult to create a truly immersive primary source base that conveyed contemporary political movements which did not rely heavily on translation. The process of translation in itself is a subjective one and it would be a challenge for an examination board to come up with a curriculum that did not to some extent twist itself towards the bias of the translator. Having said that, the importance of global literature and history outweighs the problems of translation and should and, I believe, will play a greater role in curriculums of the future.
Global history and literature continues to be of both intellectual and popular interest. Fostering and nurturing this interest in school curriculums can lead to a more enriched world view, empowerment of students and a greater analytical mindset.
By Fabienne Marshall
MU has an entire category dedicated to World Literature and History masterclasses and courses for students in secondary education, designed to encourage students to think globally. Featured: “The African American Novel from 1900” Course.