The West is seeing no end to racism. In 2021, Rashmi Samant had to resign as president-elect of the Oxford University Student Union (OUSU) because of her religious identity and for being an Indian. Yet another has popped up where an Indian student from Tamil Nadu, namely Lakshmi Balakrishnan, who was pursuing her PHD from the University of Oxford, has been transferred to a master’s course against her will.
Lakshmi Balakrishnan was pursuing her doctoral studies in English literature and has already invested nearly £100,000 (around ₹1.09 crore) in her education and living expenses at the prestigious institution.
Lakshmi highlighted that the English faculty initially accepted her thesis proposal during her admission and first year, following which she took admission in the university in 2018 to do her PhD. But in her fourth year, the faculty rejected her thesis idea on Shakespeare, calling it not on par with PhD-level standards.
The English faculty removed her from the PHD program and moved her to the master’s course without her will. Lakshmi already has two master’s degrees from India, and the only reason for her to take admission to the University of Oxford was to pursue her PhD.
Lakshmi had to go through many struggles in her life to get admission to Oxford. She lost her mother at a young age and comes from an underprivileged background. Lakshmi, in 2018, became the first member of her family to study abroad.
In the fourth year, Lakshmi’s research was assessed by two evaluators who categorized her research as not meeting the PHD standards. She challenged the assessment and went through the appeals process the university has. But it did not do any good to Lakshmi. She alleged that the university wanted to exhaust her with endless appeals until she relinquished her fight.
While the Queen’s College, where she was enrolled, expressed concern over her treatment and highlighted endorsements from two Shakespeare scholars who believed her research has PhD potential, the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) upheld the university’s decision.
Lakshmi took to twitter to write “I am grateful to BBC News for giving me a platform to raise concerns about University of Oxford unjust treatment regarding my PhD on Shakespeare matter. I am also glad that Queens College’s strong supporting statement about my case is covered in this article.
Lakshmi Balakrishnan also shared the statements of a few experts who suggested that the decision of the assessors to fail her internal doctoral assessment did not proceed from a fair consideration of my work. The assessment process was marred by serious procedural irregularity and bias issues. The statements of the professors she shared included Prof. Jonathan Gil Harris, Ashoka University (former Associate Editor of Shakespeare Quarterly from 2005 to 2013); Prof. Rebecca Beasley, The Queen’s College, University of Oxford ; Dr. Ayoush Lazikani, Jesus College, University of Oxford; Prof. Michael Schoenfeldt, University of Michigan and Dr. Ross Knecht, Emory University.
https://x.com/lakshmipriyab07/status/1850189826324054206
Both the cases of racism against Rashmi Samant and Lakshmi Balakrishnan highlight the sorry state of affairs of the Oxford Universities. The West’s struggle with racism, especially toward Indians and Hindus, highlights a serious contradiction in its self-image as a champion of equality and justice. While often criticizing other countries’ internal issues, Western societies frequently fail to address their own pervasive biases, where racism against Indians remains all too common. This discrimination spans across sectors, with Indian professionals facing systemic barriers, and Hindu students and public figures experiencing prejudice and stereotyping.