Department of Anthropology Support

Statement in Support of LSE Student Occupation

The Anthropology Dept supports the LSE student occupation and the national campaigns against raising the cap on fees, cutting teaching budgets for humanities and social sciences, and getting rid of the Education Maintenance Allowance.

The coalition government's attack on access to education for all, and the withdrawal of support for an internationally respected sector at precisely the time when other countries are increasing that support, is unacceptable. The impact of the proposed HE and other public sector cuts will not be felt equally by everyone. Less well off people and certain minorities are thus less likely to be able to pay back loans and are less likely to take 'risks' with their education. Speaking as a department that draws 78% of its undergraduates from state schools, this is not the elitist future we want for young people in the UK.

Raising the price of education at the same time as freezing public sector salaries and slashing benefits reinforces inequality in various ways. We feel concerned that few will be encouraged to go to university if tough decisions about paying fees have to be made by families already struggling to make ends meet.

For these reasons, and many more, the Anthropology Dept supports the occupation, NUS and UCU protests against raising fees and cutting public sector budgets.

Supported by the following members of the Anthropology Dept, December 6th, 2010 (with acknowledgements to the Gender Institute for inspiration and for some of the wording):

Deborah James, Martha Mundy, Fenella Cannell, Mukulika Banerjee, Laura Bear, Stephan Feuchtwang, Michael Scott, Yanina Hinrichsen, Harry Walker, Heonik Kwon, Andrew Sanchez, Thomas Grisaffi,Mathijs Pelkmans