Adam Habib to resume SOAS director role after N-word probe

Adam Habib is to resume his role as director of SOAS University of London after an investigation ruled that his use of the N-word in a meeting with students did not make him a racist.

Professor Habib, who started in the role only in January, stepped aside in March while the independent investigation into his use of the term – which happened when he was explaining that action would be taken against its use in the school – was carried out.

In a statement issued on 5 May, the SOAS board of trustees said that the review was “critical of [Professor Habib’s] response to students at the meeting and in his subsequent tweets”.

However, the probe “did not find that Professor Habib’s vocalisation of the word made him a racist”, SOAS said.

Professor Habib will resume his duties as director from 10 May.

A summary of the report’s recommendations, released by SOAS, says that Professor Habib had “compounded the situation” after the meeting with students “by acting contrary to the advice of colleagues”.

“Despite his stated apologies he has continued to advance arguments/explanations to justify his actions, which is seemingly in conflict with the ‘unreserved’ apology ultimately offered by Professor Habib,” the report says.

“Situations where things that were said and later contradicted with the explanation, ‘That’s not what I meant’…could lead to serious misunderstandings.”

SOAS said that it had accepted all the recommendations of the investigation, which was led by Judy Clements, a former chief executive of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education, and diversity expert Marie Stewart.

These include developing a clear policy on the use of the N-word at SOAS and providing “specific advice” to Professor Habib on equality and diversity issues. The recommendations say that Professor Habib’s conduct may “be considered further under the appropriate SOAS policy”.

The university will also put in place “a restorative justice approach for the meeting of 11 March and events arising” and will continue “to take forward the process of dialogue between the SOAS community of staff and students and SOAS leadership”.

Following the 11 March meeting, the SOAS Students’ Union overwhelmingly passed a motion calling for the removal of Professor Habib, formerly vice-chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand, as director.

Marie Staunton, chair of SOAS’ board, said the report had found “that Professor Habib’s mistake of vocalising of the n-word in full, while trying to say that using the word offensively is unacceptable, did not in itself make him a racist”.

“The different representations from the SOAS community made during the course of the investigation, particularly as to the preferred outcome, reinforced how complex a situation we find ourselves in,” she said.

Ms Staunton said that the board “understood reactions to the events on 11 March also relate to deep and long-standing issues around racialised attainment gaps and anti-black racism” at SOAS and that the board was committed “to anti-racism, to tackling hate and anti-blackness, to bringing people together and to listening and learning throughout life”.

“It is important that we move forward collectively as an institution now in the best interests of everyone in the SOAS community,” Ms Staunton said.

In the 11 March meeting, Professor Habib was told by a black student that he could not use the N-word because he was not a black man and did “not face the trauma and the oppression of black bodies, what we go through 24/7 for the last 500 years”.

Professor Habib explained that the word was used in his native South Africa, where “when someone uses it, the context matters”.

Speaking after the board’s latest statement, Professor Habib said that wanted to “again apologise to all the SOAS community for my conduct, for the offence and hurt, and for the disruption this has caused”. He said that he accepted the recommendations of the investigation “unreservedly”.

“There is a lot to do to rebuild from this. There is action to be taken to address racism and anti-Blackness. I believe we can and should do this together. I understand why some in our community will take a long time to trust me. I promise I will do all I can to re-earn your trust and respect,” Professor Habib said.

chris.havergal@timeshighereducation.com