China in British education: The Natzler Report in historical perspective

Professor Timothy H. Barrett (Emeritus Professor, SOAS China Institute and Japan Research Centre; and Member of the Centre of Buddhist Studies, SOAS, University of London) will give a lecture on China in British education: The Natzler Report in historical perspective. The lecture will be followed by a question and answer session.

The Natzler Report of 2022 on ‘Understanding China’ published by the Higher Education Policy Institute draws attention to five earlier reports that alerted the nation to the need to study China, as it would seem in vain. But this pattern of failure may be traced back past earlier twentieth century reports well into the nineteenth century, so a brief recitation of how the British have been consistently surpassed by other nations in this area really needs to go back over two hundred years, at the least. Even the remedies suggested in 2022 do not seem to cover some conspicuous gaps in the national provision that must be filled before we can hope to spread an awareness of Chinese language and society more effectively throughout our population to the level that the global situation now demands.

T. H. Barrett has been publishing on China since 1972, and is now Professor Emeritus of East Asian History, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Though he has mainly worked on the history of religion in East Asia, he has also long taken an interest in the development of the study of China in Britain, and has published on this topic also. Professor Barrett has been closely involved in organisations concerned with the furtherance of Chinese Studies, taking on, in the past, the chairmanship of the Universities’ China Committee in London and chairing the Asian Studies panels in two national Research Exercises. He has written for the London Review of Books, The Independent, and other publications, and contributed frequently to the radio programme ‘In Our Time’ and to other media.

This is one of the events in the on-going China Forum Seminar series, hosted by the China Forum, Jesus College. The seminars, given by eminent speakers, cover a broad range of topics and disciplines.

Booking

This is a virtual seminar. Attendance is free. Advance booking is required by emailing: china-forum@jesus.cam.ac.uk.  Priority will be given to members of Jesus College and the University of Cambridge.