Cambridge dons demand accountability over Jason Arday appointment

Academics at the University of Cambridge are calling for an independent inquiry into the appointment of Jason Arday as a professor, citing "grotesque racism" unleashed by the decision. Senior dons are circulating a letter demanding accountability from university leaders.

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An independent investigation must scrutinise how such an early-career appointment to a very senior and prestigious professorial chair was made and what both the faculty of education and university management may have got very badly wrong.

Arday, appointed professor of sociology of education in 2023 at age 37, had a comparatively slim research and publication record. Critics suggest the university sought a "quick fix" to improve staff diversity. He resigned this week following a series of public controversies, including allegations of plagiarism in his PhD thesis, claims of exaggerating academic appointments, and unverified reports of raising substantial funds for charity.

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Whatever the results of any investigation, the university bears no little responsibility for the grotesque racism which this whole business has unleashed, and for the harm done both to the individual in the line of fire, to Black academics as a group, and the broader field of critical race studies. This requires accountability now from those responsible, not a cover-up.

Priyamvada Gopal, professor of postcolonial studies at Cambridge, stated that an independent investigation must scrutinize how such an early-career appointment to a senior professorial chair was made. She added that the university bears significant responsibility for the "grotesque racism" and harm caused to individuals and the field of critical race studies.

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When it was announced I looked for his body of work, and it was disappointing to say the least.

Other academics expressed surprise at Arday's appointment, with one sociologist admitting they had never heard of him before and found his body of work "disappointing." Gopal suggested Cambridge was too tempted to "cut corners on the hard work of fostering equality and inclusion" by opting for a media-friendly appointment, raising questions about the university seeking public kudos rather than focusing on teaching.

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The extent to which this appointment was paraded in the media by the university … raises questions about whether the university sought public kudos for itself rather than teaching