Queer history MA axed in ‘bittersweet’ end to Goldsmiths dispute

The end of the industrial dispute at Goldsmiths, University of London has been described as “bittersweet” by union members, with a pioneering master’s in queer history denied a reprieve.

Further strikes at the institution, which had threatened to axe 97 jobs, were called off earlier this month when managers agreed to lower their savings target and rule out compulsory redundancies.

However, 62 staff have already left. And, while there has been clemency for celebrated degrees in black British history and black British literature – the potential loss of which Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo had described as “shocking” – the master’s in queer history has not been so lucky.

With course convenor Justin Bengry taking redundancy, Goldsmiths has written to current students and those due to start next month to confirm that the course is being discontinued. Goldsmiths will not be offering a “teach-out” option, but students will be able to switch to other courses, including MA history.

A Goldsmiths spokesperson said that it had taken the “very difficult decision” to close the course after reviewing its viability.

“We’re very sorry to be taking this step and acknowledge it will be disappointing for many people. This area of academic scholarship is important for our students and staff, and we are exploring ways to support this work across the college,” the spokesperson said.

Beau Brannick, a part-time student on the queer history MA, said that students were yet to hear from Goldsmiths about their future studies.

“I just have no idea what’s happening. I have a whole second year that I need to complete, and I don’t understand at this point how it’s going to happen,” they said. “I didn’t sign up to do history; I signed up to do queer history.”

Another current student, Stephen English, said that he had been without a tutor while completing his dissertation, with a PhD candidate supporting master’s students instead. He has set up a petition against the closure.

Dr Bengry told Times Higher Education that the closure represented a major loss for the wider queer community.

“It’s been such an important programme and world leader as the only queer history postgraduate degree in the world, and there’s always been such support for it,” he said. “This really put Goldsmiths on the map as a leader in supporting queer history and queer communities.”

Catherine Rottenberg, a vice-president of the Goldsmiths branch of the University and College Union (GUCU) and a professor of media, communications and cultural studies, said such feelings were widespread across campus, describing the end of the dispute as “bittersweet” and saying that the outcome “cannot be understood in terms of victory”.

But, she added, the saving of 18 staff members from redundancy showed the power of collective action in the face of mass redundancies, and other universities should take note.

“The agreement between Goldsmiths and GUCU points to what can happen when people stick together and fight injustice. The agreement is significant, but we cannot be triumphalist in the face of all of the destruction that the restructure has already wrought. We have lost many wonderful colleagues, and this is a great loss to the college, even if senior management does not know it yet,” Professor Rottenberg said.

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com