Students taught Lord of the Rings is 'anti-African' and must be 'decolonised' at UK university

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GB NEWS

Dan McDonald

By Dan McDonald


Published: 17/10/2025

- 01:16

Medieval England was 'diverse' with an 'African' population, Nottingham University students are also taught

Students at a British university are being taught that JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books are demonising to "people of colour".

The University of Nottingham is offering a history module named "Decolonising Tolkien et al", which tells students that characters with a darker complexion in the trilogy suffer at the hands of "ethnic chauvinism".


Module leader Dr Onyeka Nubia claims that the lighter-skinned people of the west in the series are depicted as righteous, whereas the eastern races are portrayed as wicked.

The historian writes in the core text of the module that Easterlings, Southrons and men from Harad are unfairly smeared throughout the trilogy.

Lord of the Rings

PICTURED: A still from the Lord of the Rings film series. Students at a British university are being taught that JRR Tolkien's books are demonising to 'people of colour'

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GETTY

The text also highlights the inclusion of dark-skinned orcs, evil characters who serve the "Dark Lord" Sauron.

Dr Nubia claimed that Tolkien shared connotations of "anti-African antipathy" in his work, where Africans are presented as “the natural enemy of the white man”.

In addition to the Lord of the Rings books, the module explores the renowned CS Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe through the lens of race.

The fantasy novel has long been accused of portraying negative oriental stereotypes through the depiction of the country of Calormen.

JRR TOLKIEN

Dr Nubia claimed that Tolkien shared connotations of 'anti-African antipathy' in his work

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GETTY

Calormen is a fictional country within the Narnia world, with inhabitants described as "cruel" and having “long beards” and “orange-coloured turbans”.

University of Nottingham students who take up the module will also be taught to "repopulate" the canon of British fantasy.

Dr Nubia has previously written about medieval England having "diverse populations" with "African" inhabitants being present.

The historian has elsewhere argued that English literature has been plagued with "ethnic chauvinism", with authors such as John Milton allegedly portraying it within his work, with Tolkein and Lewis following suit.

\u200bNottingham University

University of Nottingham students who take up the module will be taught to 'repopulate' the best of British fantasy

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WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Dr Nubia also takes aim at William Shakespeare in the module's core text, arguing that he created a “fictional, mono-ethnic English past”.

The historian claimed Mr Shakespeare's plays were “missing" direct references to Africans living in England.

He added that this helped to create an "illusion" that England was a racially homogenous place at the time of his writing.

Nottingham also came under fire last year for removing the term "Anglo-Saxon" from module titles in an effort to “decolonise the curriculum”.

In university circles, the phrase has become increasingly controversial since 2020's Black Lives Matter protests - and in 2023, the University of Cambridge started teaching that they did not exist as a distinct ethnic group.

It comes just days after GB News revealed that business students at another English university are being taught that Margaret Thatcher shared similarities with Adolf Hitler.

Former Conservative Education Secretary Sir Gavin Williamson told the People's Channel the comparison was "completely out of order" and "shocking".

GB News has approached the University of Nottingham for comment.

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