Inquiry into the history of eugenics at UCL
Find out about the inquiry, its reports and recommendations, background resources, and what happened next.
Timeline
In 2018 - UCL's then President & Provost, Professor Michael Arthur, commissioned an inquiry led by Professor Iyiola Solanke of the University of Leeds, into the history of eugenics at UCL.
From 2018 to 2019 - A panel of prominent UCL academics and equality representatives from UCL and the Students’ Union spent more than a year examining UCL’s historical role in, and the current status of, the teaching and study of eugenics as well as any financial instruments linked to the study of eugenics which may benefit the institution. It undertook archival research as well as a survey of attitudes towards eugenics inside and outside the UCL community.
On 28 February 2020 - As the Inquiry's report and recommendations were published, as well as the related MORE group's recommendations, UCL announced a range of measures aimed at acknowledging and addressing the university’s historical links with the eugenics movement. As a next step, UCL established a working group to consider the university's response to the recommendations.
On 19 June 2020 - UCL announced the denaming of the spaces and buildings named after two prominent eugenicists Francis Galton and Karl Pearson.
On 7 January 2021 - UCL issued a formal public apology for its history and legacy of eugenics, as part of a range of actions to acknowledge and address its historical links with the eugenics movement.
2021 to 2025 - Programme of activities and resource creation acting on the recommendations outlined in the Inquiry's report, including the Prejudice in Power programme of cultural activism and the Eugenics Legacy Education Project (ELEP).
2026 - UCL will publish a report on progress and achievements against the recommendations.
- 25 Jan 25 - Confronting eugenics legacies worldwide with student scholarship (online panel debate)
- 01 May 25 - Don’t mention the shark: reflections on teaching a difficult topic (free online event)
- 2 July 24 - Exploring contested histories using collaboration and citizens' assemblies
- 19 Mar 24 - Inherited Legacies: The Women Scientists of UCL's Galton Laboratory for National Eugenics
- 14 Mar 24 - Add Eugenics and Stir: Top Tips For Introducing Eugenics as a Teaching Subject
- 13 Mar 24 - Towards a pedagogy for difficult histories: Insights from Holocaust education
- 12 Mar 24 - Inherited Legacies: The Women Scientists of UCL's Galton Laboratory for National Eugenics
- 10 Oct 23 - IAS Book Launch: 'Race Is Everything'
- 12 Jun 23 - The Work and Legacies of Charles Thomas Newton
- 25 Apr 23 - Reparative futures of education, by the ELEP team (recording)
About the inquiry, associated research and recommendations
Spotlight projects acting on the inquiry's recommendations
Prejudice in Power: Contesting the pseudoscience of superiority
Prejudice in Power is a programme of cultural activism for change against structural discrimination. It explores how eugenics has marginalised voices and shaped society.
Eugenics Legacy Education Project (ELEP)
A three-year project covering the education-related recommendations from the Eugenics Inquiry. Access the resources here.
