| Black authors missing from ‘Eurocentric’ Boys Into Books reading list, says education specialist |
| Friday, May 18, 2007 |
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Deborah Gabriel |
Boys for Books list is a missed opprtunity to integrate black writers into school reading material
An illustrated scene from Huckleberry Finn
 They could have included works by black authors in every single category. The majority of the authors are white, European.
Dr Lez Henry, Sociologist, Cultural Historian, writer & Education Specialist
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The new Boys Into Books scheme announced by the government yesterday, has missed a golden opportunity to introduce literature by black authors to the reading material in schools, which is currently ridden with Eurocentric dogma.
Black Britain asked Dr Henry – sociologist, cultural historian, writer and education specialist to examine the list published by the School Library Association, which runs into 84 pages. His response was that there is nothing new in the list in comparison with the type of books that children are already being encouraged to read:
“I think it is insulting in 2007 for us to have a book list compiled that easily could have been put together in 1967.”
Dr Henry said that this amounts to a missed opportunity: “They could have included works by black authors in every single category. The majority of the authors are white, European. A lot of it is very Eurocentric dogma that masquerades as fiction,” he said.
It remains of vital importance for young black people to read books that feature black characters: “I always argue for the inclusion of myself as an African as an ordinary character – to have the same success and failures as other members of the human family.
“We know that because of racism, white supremacist thought and action and Eurocentric dogma, there are certain things that are strategically put in place to continuously exclude us from all areas of human society interaction – this is a battle that we have to fight,” Dr Henry told Black Britain.
There are many books written by black authors that should be included in school reading lists without placing them into separate ‘black’ or ‘special interest’ categories. Schools should move away from the approach where they section off black books and just value them for being good books that should be read by all children, Dr Henry said.
As a black scholar, academic and author, Dr Henry knows only too well the difficulties that black writers face in getting a book published, particularly by mainstream publishers. Black authors are often told their work will not appeal to “middle England” , even if they are writing on a popular topic. The reality is that mainstream publishers have specific agendas.
But the issue is not just about the books but whether the context in which they were written is explained to young people. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, for example was a critique of The Enlightenment rationality- the domination of nature and a critique of the Industrial Revolution, Dr Henry explained.
One of the books on the list – Huckleberry Finn has prompted much debate and has caused a great deal of anguish among black parents because of the racist ideas expressed in the narrative. Dr Henry told Black Britain:
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Read Dr Henry's top ten books for young people and parents
If you are educating people in 2007, you should be educating them to live in a world as global citizens. This means that you should not be reinforcing Eurocentric dogma.
Dr Lez Henry, Sociologist, Cultural Historian, writer & Education Specialist
Dr Lez Henry's Top Ten Reading List
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“If they are going to use this book and allow young people to engage with it on that level, it’s a good thing. But if the books are just given to young people without the tools to decode what is being put into their minds in an ordinary, mundane way, then that is dangerous.”
Dr Henry would welcome the opportunity to analyse the racial composition of the authors on the Boys Into Books list and to ask the team who compiled the list why they chose the books that have been included:
“If you are educating people in 2007, you should be educating them to live in a world as global citizens. This means that you should not be reinforcing Eurocentric dogma, because we can see the dangers of it.”
The legacies of Eurocentric dogma used in the colonisation of African, Asian and Indian peoples has been most profoundly manifested in the colonisation of their social consciousness This occurred routinely through academic works, fiction and even through the imposition of Christianity.
“If we are just going to expose young people to these texts in a list in away that is authoritative, young people will think that this is the best that is available to them, but it isn’t.”
Dr Henry suggests that in the science-fiction category, for example, a book by the late Octavia Butler could have been included and would make excellent reading. “She has been writing some of the most profound science fiction for years,” he said. “The narratives of black writers are equal to and often surpasses anything on the book list.”
Also many of the works prompt additional thought processes in young readers, whether they deal with issues of race or sexism, the issues are delivered in a different way. “They are always used to getting this Eurocentric view of how people are and I think that is what the danger is,” Dr Henry said.
“There should be other voices included in the process of compiling these book lists, instead of just white authority figures. We should be arming our young people for a future that is not going to be so white-dominated.”
Dr Henry understands the failings of the education system and believes that it is important for black voices and narratives to be included in all teaching resources. “I encourage people to think away from these reading lists that are compiled for them by people who generally have their own political agendas, or just want to play it safe.”
Dr Lez Henry's Reading List
Black Britain asked Dr Henry to compile a list of ten books that he would recommend for young people The list is attached to this article as a PDF document. He stressed that the books are not aimed solely at boys and are recommnded reading for everyone. He also emphasised that most of the books are ones that parents should read with their children so thay they are on hand to answer any questions and to discuss the meaning of the texts.
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