The University of Manchester, an institution with significant academic and financial links to China, is facing criticism after it issued a warning to students about Charles Dickens holding 'racist views'.
The alert concerns an 1851 essay co-authored by the revered British novelist, which the university states expresses prejudice, particularly against Chinese people.
Contentious Content in Victorian Essay
Details of the warning, obtained under Freedom of Information laws, were given to undergraduates taking an English Literature module titled Victorian Rights: Victorian Wrongs.
The warning applies to an 1851 magazine article, 'The Great Exhibition and the Little One', which Dickens wrote with poet and critic Richard Horne. Experts believe the piece was largely Dickens' own work.
The article contrasted what was presented as the economic, political, and moral superiority of Western civilisation with a portrayal of China as stagnant and backward. It praised England for 'maintaining commercial intercourse with the whole world' while criticising China for 'coming to a dead stop'.
The authors supported their argument by comparing the technological marvels of London's Great Exhibition of 1851 with a concurrent exhibition of traditional Chinese arts and crafts in Hyde Park Place.
Critics Decry 'Historical Illiteracy'
The university's decision has been met with strong opposition from academics and free speech advocates. Frank Furedi, emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Kent, labelled the warning as 'historically illiterate'.
'Highlighting the economic and political superiority of the West in the middle of the 19th century was a self-evident fact,' Professor Furedi stated. 'What we should worry about is not so much Dickens' racist views but the historical illiteracy of the University of Manchester's sensitivity police.'
The controversy emerges just days after it was revealed that Sheffield Hallam University halted a professor's research into human rights abuses in China following pressure from Chinese authorities. Reports indicated that staff from China's National Security Agency threatened the university's employees in China and blocked access to the university's websites from within the country.
Scrutiny of University's Chinese Partnerships
Critics have directly linked the University of Manchester's warning to its commercial interests. The university, which has approximately 9,000 students from mainland China, operates a Confucius Institute in partnership with Beijing Normal University and runs a China Centre in Shanghai.
In 2022, the UK government prevented the university from licensing new technology to a Chinese company on national security grounds.
Lord Young, founder of the Free Speech Union, said this episode highlights why universities should be required to disclose their foreign funding, as per the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act.
A university spokesman defended its position, stating: 'Our approach to teaching and research is guided by academic integrity and intellectual curiosity – not by any external relationships or partnerships.' Students who feel concerned about the material are invited to discuss it with their course tutor.
