Professor Kim Solga has criticised the British history curriculum for failing to address the realities of empire and its ongoing legacy. Writing in response to an article by A-level student Astrid Barltrop, Solga argues that the UK is falling behind other former settler colonies in teaching colonial history.
Solga, a Canadian who moved to the UK in 2012 to teach drama at a Russell Group university, expressed shock at how little students knew about Indigenous peoples' history and contemporary reconciliation efforts in countries such as Canada.
She praised Barltrop's compassion and curiosity, but warned that many of her peers are not so well-equipped. In Canada, Australia and New Zealand, students learn from primary school about settler colonialism, Indigenous ways of life, and how to live together equitably despite shared colonial history. Solga urged the UK to catch up quickly.
