MA in Black British Literature

Launched in 2015 through the joint vision of Professor Joan Anim-Addo and Dr Deirdre Osborne, this ground-breaking MA is timely and necessary. We take black British literature seriously as a discipline.

"Goldsmiths’ MA in Black British Writing is the only one in the country, ergo the only one where our Black British books dominate the syllabus. We rarely appear on university reading lists, other than as token gestures."



Bernardine Evaristo MBE (Author, Booker Prize co-Winner 2019)

Why study MA Black British Literature at Goldsmiths?

This degree is a world first. There’s nowhere else you can study black British writing in such an in-depth way – in the actual country where the writing is produced. We trace diasporic and aesthetic routes and draw upon the expertise of literary and drama specialists.

You’ll analyse an extremely diverse range of texts from novelists, poets, short story writers, essayists, life-writers and playwrights. You’ll also locate these writers in their historical context, gaining an understanding of the history of black people in Britain through how they are represented in literature.

"A Master’s degree programme that enables the serious study of the creative and artistic history and achievement of black British novelists, poets, short story writers, essayists, and playwrights.”



Professor Emerita R. Victoria Arana, (Howard University, Washington DC)

Black people continue to be massively underrepresented in academia. Literature written by black authors is often missing from university course lists. The MA Black British Literature is a vital step in increasing intellectual awareness of and amplifying these black British voices. In studying for this Masters, you will become part of this process. It is a decolonised degree in action.

We welcome applications from those seeking academic careers, teachers looking to decolonise their curriculum, professionals who are returning to learning, and performers and artists who wish to develop their analytic and critical thinking skills.

Based in London you have access to all the resources the city offers including the Black Cultural Archives London, the Black Plays Archive at the Royal National Theatre, the National Archives, The British Library, George Padmore Institute as part of fieldwork tasks and further research.