After teaching history at Harvard for 40 years, James Hankins has left the university and isn’t holding back about why. In a piece for Compact Magazine called “Why I’m Leaving Harvard,” he explains that he had grown frustrated with the school’s direction and waited out his four-year retirement contract that started in 2021.
Woke Culture and COVID Policies
Hankins said Harvard’s strict COVID policies felt overbearing and mirrored a broader societal trend of blindly following authority. He also criticised what he sees as the rise of “woke” thinking on campus, pointing to reactions after the 2020 George Floyd protests as a turning point for the university’s culture.
White Males Being Passed Over
One of Hankins’ most significant concerns was what he perceived as discrimination against white men in graduate admissions. He described situations where top applicants, brilliant students with perfect records, were rejected, allegedly because of their race and gender. According to Hankins, this trend wasn’t unique to Harvard, and he noticed similar patterns at other schools.
Harvard officials said individual departments handle graduate admissions, but Hankins still saw a clear bias shaping outcomes.
The Decline of Western History and Academic Standards
Hankins also reflected on how the history department changed during his career. He says the university moved away from traditional Western history, focusing instead on “global civilisations” and “transnational history.”
Before the late 1990s, faculty had to publish two books to get tenure. Later, the pressure to hire more women led to lower standards, according to Hankins. He believes this shift, along with the promotion of less qualified junior faculty, weakened the department’s rigour.
Anti-Western Approach in Classes
He argues that today’s history courses often portray Western societies negatively while highlighting the supposed virtues of progressive ideals. Non-Western courses, in contrast, sometimes emphasise national pride. Hankins feels this creates an unfair, anti-Western narrative in the classroom.
Looking Forward
Despite his criticisms, Hankins remains hopeful. He’s joined the University of Florida as a visiting professor, looking to teach in an environment free from the ideological pressures he experienced at Harvard. He believes new institutions can provide a healthier space for learning and scholarship.
