The UK’s Stirling University has reportedly removed works of iconic British novelist Jane Austin in a bid to “contribute to increased diversity” of the English module.
The college will replace the author of classic bestselling romance novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’ with African-American Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, according to a Telegraph report on Wednesday, citing university documents. The papers state that replacing Austen with Morrison would contribute to “decolonization of the curriculum.”
The new material of the course will include themes different than those explored by Austen, with main topics being “racial difference and critical race theory, gender and sexuality,” the documents read.
Stirling’s Special Authors course seeks to introduce students to “a diverse range of writers, including international voices and those from British literary history,” the university explained, according to the report. Those taking on the Special Authors module in 2022 will also be taught about “black postmodernism, Gothic, as well as the aesthetics of the contemporary US and African-American novel.”