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Dr. Kathryn Yusoff linked geology to white supremacy, discrimination
A geography professor at Queen Mary University of London has made the bizarre claim that geology is linked to “white supremacy” and is “racist.”
Dr Kathryn Yusoff controversially asserts that the study of the Earth’s rocks and natural resources is “driven by systemic racism and colonialism”.
In her book Geologic Life, she claimed that geological activities like mining and extracting resources are linked to colonial power structures, exploitation of materials, environmental damage, and possibly even climate change.
She also focused on palaeontology – the examination of ancient life using fossils – calling it “pale-ontology” in another nod to perceived racial disparities.
She argued that non-white individuals have a stronger connection to the Earth compared to white individuals, stating: “Broadly, black, brown, and indigenous subjects…have an intimacy with the earth that is unknown to the structural position of whiteness.”
Dr Yusoff characterized geology as “inherently racialised”, indicating it begins as a “colonial tool for land theft and resource plunder”.
She brought up the idea of “geotrauma” to encompass the harm caused by these actions, stating that “geology continues to function within a white supremacist praxis.”
The movement to “decolonise” university curricula, which originally targeted social sciences and humanities, has now broadened to encompass hard sciences, often influenced by critical race theory.
Supporters of this idea claim that academic fields sustain Western control – however, detractors criticize it as being politically driven.
Dr John Armstrong Statement
Dr John Armstrong, a financial mathematics reader at King’s College London, condemned the decolonisation agenda as “anti-scientific” and contends that it diminishes academic standards.
He stated: “University leaders and their equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) teams continue to demand that courses are decolonised.”
Chris McGovern Remarks
Chris McGovern, who heads the Campaign for Real Education, rejected the allegations by stating: “Geology is no more racist than fish and chips!
“Exploitation of the land predates racial dynamics, as seen in prehistoric flint mines like Grime’s Graves in Norfolk.”
Dr Kathryn Yusoff’s claims have sparked intense discussion on critical theory’s impact on contemporary scientific conversations, with some supporting the importance of inclusivity and others wary of politicizing education.
Dr Kathryn Yusoff, who is a Professor of Inhuman Geography at Queen Mary University of London, studies the connections between race, environment, and geology.
Her study examines the historical connection between the field of geology with colonialism and racial hierarchies, portraying it as a factor in environmental exploitation and systemic racism.
She often uses Black feminist theory and critical race perspectives in her work to analyze racial dynamics and promote decolonized methods in environmental and geological research.
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