Seminar to explore dominant narratives on the ‘Trojan horse’ affair

The Centre for Research in Race and Education at the University of Birmingham will be holding a seminar examining the report by Peter Clarke, the former head of the counter-terrorism division at the Metropolitan Police Service, into the so called ‘Trojan horse’ affair. A report by Birmingham City Council and Ofsted reports are also to be examined at a seminar looking at the dominant narratives surrounding the events.

The seminar, entitled “From the Horse’s Mouth? Critiquing and Countering the Dominant Discourse and Narratives”, was spurred on by issues raised in letters published in The Guardian between 4 June 2014 and 28 July 2014(see here, here, here, here and here).

The letters include an open letter in which Birmingham community leaders announced the launch of a campaign, Putting Birmingham School Kids First, which aimed to challenge the former Education Secretary, Michael Gove’s intervention in the affair and the schools implicated therein.

The centre invites academics, researchers and practitioners to explore nine broad areas and has issued a call for papers and presentations. The areas include:

•  assumptions and ideologies in the reports and the media coverage
• addressing discrimination and inequalities in the education system
• the role of gender in ‘Trojan horse’
• governance, inspection and accountability
• religion, secularism and education in the UK
• the role of PREVENT in ‘Trojan horse’ and schools generally
• spiritual, moral, social and cultural education
• the relationships between identity, pedagogy, attainment and achievement
• the impact of the ‘Trojan horse’ affair on schools and communities

The seminar is expected to take place at the University of Birmingham’s School of Education on 23 October 2014.