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Canon in Colour
What is Canon in Colour and why is it important?
Welcome to the Canon in Colour initiative, a ground-breaking project by Lit in Colour.
In 2021, Professor Velda Elliott led an independent research team from the University of Oxford’s Department of Education to investigate the barriers preventing books by authors of colour from being taught in England’s primary and secondary schools.
Alongside identifying the four main barriers of Time, Money, lack of Teacher Confidence and Subject Knowledge, the report highlighted the need to understand the historical context in which 19th century canonical texts were written, particularly the influence of the British Empire.
Canon in Colour is a set of resources that provides teachers with expert knowledge to help them explore themes of race and empire in their teaching of these key texts, enriching the classroom experience for all students. Teaching classic texts in their entirety opens up opportunities for every student to feel part of both the literary tradition and modern Britain, showing how relevant and open to reinterpretation these works remain today.
Classic texts have long been central to English Literature teaching and remain core to GCSE and A Level study. Understanding the historical context deepens our reading of these novels. For example, Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights is racialised as “Other”, Bertha Mason’s mixed heritage and Jane’s potential Indian religious mission in Jane Eyre, the colonial wealth underpinning Great Expectations, and the racist depictions of Andaman Islanders in The Sign of the Four all reveal how race and empire shaped the 19th-century novel.
Some of the most popular 19th-century texts being studied include A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle. We have started by publishing resources for these widely studied texts, but the introduction resource can be applied to all canonical texts on the curriculum. This ensures that teachers have the tools they need to incorporate themes of race and empire into their teaching, regardless of the specific text they are covering.
The development of these resources was supported by the University of Oxford’s ESRC Impact Acceleration Account.
What’s included in the Canon in Colour resources?
Please note the following resources are aimed at teachers and we do not necessarily recommend giving them to students directly.
PDF documents:
- Introduction resources - these can be applied to all canonical texts on the curriculum
- A Christmas Carol
- The Sign of the Four
- Supplementary resources list for the panel discussion
Videos recordings:
- Panel discussion on Race and Empire in Classic texts with Dr Mathelinda Nabugodi author of The Trembling Hand and Professor Velda Elliott, chaired by Dr Lesley Nelson Addy
- A Christmas Carol introduction video
- The Sign of the Four introduction video
Dr Lesley Nelson-Addy chairs a discussion with Professor Velda Elliot and Dr Mathelinda Nabugodi
Focus: Explores the British literary canon and how it was shaped by the historical and cultural influence of the British Empire
Resource: Accompanying the video is a downloadable Introduction which offers wider context and tools to support inclusive teaching of canonical texts.
Professor Velda Elliot introduces the Canon in Colour resources exploring Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Focus: Examine how themes of race and empire inform the text’s 19th century context and ongoing relevance.
Resource: Accompanying the video introduction, an in-depth downloadable guide supports teachers in reflecting on and discussing these ideas in the classroom.
Professor Velda Elliot introduces the Canon in Colour resources exploring Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Sign of the Four.
Focus: Examine how themes of race and empire inform the text’s 19th century context and ongoing relevance.
Resource: Accompanying the video introduction, an in-depth downloadable guide supports teachers in reflecting on and discussing these ideas in the classroom.
