Oxford college decides to investigate itself
Not to be outdone by Cambridge in the Varsity SJW Cup St John’s College Oxford (est. 1555) has decided to investigate its own murky Imperialist past.
Ex Africa semper aliquid crazy
This all follows on from the “Rhodes must fall” campaign, which started in South Africa when it was demanded that education be “de-colonised” and statues of Rhodes be pulled down. It soon spread to England where student groups threw their toys out of the pram at the fact that Cecil Rhodes, who endowed the Rhodes Scholarship, still had a statue to him at Oriel College, Oxford. 
Now, even a dyed in the wool patriot and traditionalist like myself recognises that Rhodes, of all people, was not exactly a shining beacon, but to tear down his image while continuing to enjoy the facilities he endowed is pure hypocrisy. Indeed, Oriel lost millions in donations from modern alumni when the Oxford Union did vote that Rhodes should go and stood to lose maybe £100 million more if they carried out the wishes of the precious darlings. Rhodes still gazes sadly down on the college he once knew but that now hates him.
Where St John’s leads others will follow. Expect to see a trend of heartfelt self-criticism, in some weird collegiate version of the Cultural Revolution. St John’s was founded by a Merchant Taylor, I doubt all his dealings in Tudor England would stand 21st century scrutiny. Nor will the endowments from many donors down from the 16th century to today. All of the Oxbridge colleges have had money from people with colonial interests, slave owners, industrialists. They generally had land and business interests of their own, which in the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries will often have involved slavery at some point or another, certainly many colleges owned slum housing in England. They also produced the men who went out, like Rhodes, and carved out the Empire. They are as much part of the Empire as the Martini-Henry rifle, pith helmets and pink gin on the veranda.
I can’t get the image out of my mind of a bunch of radical vegans, suddenly coming to the realisation that they are themselves made of meat! Screaming and tearing at their own flesh in self loathing and disgust.
I’ve seldom been more grateful that I escaped going to University.
One reply on “It’s not just Cambridge…”
Interesting, and very well-written, Davey.