Professor Corinne Fowler, the academic at the centre of a row over the National Trust's exploration of colonial links, has warned of a 'political agenda' to discredit researchers. She compared the attacks on academics to those faced by climate scientists, suggesting they stem from social tension.
The row escalated after a National Trust report co-edited by Fowler highlighted 93 properties with ties to slavery and colonialism. Critics, including a group of over 50 Tory MPs and historian Andrew Roberts, accused the trust of 'wokery' and moral equivalence between colonialism and slavery.
Fowler, a historian at the University of Leicester, said attempts were being made to 'misrepresent, mischaracterise, malign and intimidate' academics. She noted that while the evidence cannot be disputed, academics in the humanities are now being personally targeted, similar to climate scientists.
The Colonial Countryside project, funded by the Arts Council and National Lottery, involves nine historians working with schoolchildren to explore colonial connections of 11 National Trust properties. It has been praised by historian David Olusoga and is used by over 70 schools.
However, some Tory MPs remain critical. Andrew Bridgen accused the trust of being 'overtaken by divisive Black Lives Matter supporters', while Andrew Murrison said the trust was interpreting its remit too broadly. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden and Nigel Huddleston have also expressed reservations.
