Concern over ‘impoverishment’ of curriculum as professor to leave Sheffield University

University of Sheffield staff and students have voiced concerns over the potential “impoverishment” of the School of English curriculum and work on EDI issues, as a renowned visiting professor is set to leave.

Dr Maisha Wester is an American researcher and MA module lecturer specialising in gothic literature and horror film, and is currently the university’s only visiting British Academy professor.

She is due to leave the university this summer following the end of her five year professorship, although 38 signatories from the School and wider community sent an email to the Head of School, Head of Faculty, and deputy vice-chancellor Robert Mokaya in March asking for Dr Wester to be retained.

The letter, seen by The Sheffield Tab, said Dr Wester leaving would “lead to the impoverishment of [the School of English’s] curriculum and commitment to EDI issues”, as her “presence and research bolsters the School’s work towards decolonizing the curriculum and her loss would reflect poorly upon the School’s commitment to the Race Equality Charter’s priorities”.

Dr Wester is currently the school’s only Black member of academic staff, and the letter went on to call her a “scholar committed to creating and pursuing DEI initiatives at the university, professional and city level”.

She told The Sheffield Tab: “The School of English is quite large. When was the last time they employed Black staff, much less a woman, who was not on a precarious contract?

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“While the University of Sheffield has researchers of colour on their staff, the fact that they only have two in the entire School of English is a problem. It reproduces on a research and educational level the erasure and marginalisation Black writers are facing on an institutional level. I have had more than a few students comment on how little Black literature – American, British or otherwise – that they get to read.

“While the University of Sheffield stresses winning a Bronze for its Race Equality Charter – which includes items like targeting communications for Sheffield Leader Development programmes and increased BAME representation on decision making committees – how diverse can such leadership be with the current pool, especially the pool in the Faculty of Arts? It’s all good and well to have Black faculty in leadership positions on a range of committees but if it’s the same handful of faculty members, their research is going to suffer.”

Dr Wester also spoke highly of the university and wider city, praising the “commitment to community engagement” and “very supportive teaching and professional staff”, as well as calling Sheffield an “incredible” city.

Students in a supporting document also voiced concerns, with one former MA student saying: “During my studies I was struck by the neglect of transcultural and transnational perspectives on histories of enslavement, racism, colonialism and Empire more generally.”

Another said the school was “currently impoverished by a lack of diversification and by its loss of several key teaching staff members” and that “as a postgraduate PhD student invested in postcolonial and identity studies, I am despairing at the lack of investment the university affords these critical sectors”.

A community testimony added: “Living in a majority white city, dominated by universities that extract from communities, take up massive amounts of physical space, it’s important that the university reflects the communities that house it.

“It’s the difference between Sheffield University actually being committed to diversity or if  it wants to perform diversity.”

The British Academy Global Professorship scheme funds the time-limited research of a scholar from abroad at a UK institution.

A spokesperson for the University of Sheffield said: “Visiting professorships are limited-time, visiting positions that are funded by external organisations and enable us to host an academic with a permanent post at another university. While we don’t comment on individual employment matters, further external funding is usually needed if the academic wishes to continue at Sheffield once the placement comes to an end.

“Equality, diversity, and inclusion is a core part of who we are and we continue to take meaningful steps to support and strengthen diversity within our academic community.

“Our School of English is renowned for its strength in gothic and American literature and staff work hard to diversify its curriculum and research, particularly through global academia collaborations and supporting early career scholars in diversifying their literary work. The School will continue to offer an excellent range of modules across the full range of English literature for undergraduate and postgraduate students next year and beyond.”

Featured image from University of Sheffield