Editor's note

“The idea that we are ‘over race’ is precisely how racism is sustained,” says sociologist Katy Sian. In the latest in our Insights long reads, she discusses how her research uncovered five myths which surround the “post-racial” university. And through a collection of in-depth interviews with non-white academics, hidden stories of subtle racism emerge. Sian lists seven steps to overcome day-to-day, endemic racism and demands: “race equality must be practised in the academy, not just preached.”

Vast reefs of wet wipes are forming on the banks of the Thames, changing the shape of the river itself. While we’re all familiar with the scourge of plastic straws and bottles far out at sea, few people realise the scale of the plastic pollution crisis on their own doorstep. The plastic waste accumulating in rivers may be having profound implications for the fish and mammals that call our waterways home.

Chinese investment in Africa is widely known, but what does it actually look like in practice? Holly Evan Ryan recently returned from a research trip to the Gambia, where she met local environmental activists who had been protesting a Chinese-owned fishmeal factory. She says such protests are fostering a new civil society in the Gambia, after years of dictatorship.

Paul Keaveny

Commissioning Editor

Top stories

Statue of Cecil Rhodes, Oriel College, Oxford. Steve Parsons/PA Archive/PA Images

Extent of institutional racism in British universities revealed through hidden stories

Katy Sian, University of York

It's time race equality was practised in the academy, not just preached.

London - June 19 2018: Volunteers cleaning the southern shores of the Thames from waste during low tide. Daniel Lange/Shutterstock

Microplastic pollution and wet wipe ‘reefs’ are changing the River Thames ecosystem

Alex McGoran, Royal Holloway

It's not just the ocean we need to worry about – plastic is accumulating in the world's rivers, too.

Fishing boats in Gunjur, The Gambia. Holly Eva Ryan

Protests in the Gambia highlight tensions over Chinese investment in Africa

Holly Eva Ryan, Queen Mary University of London

Locals accuse a fishmeal factory of polluting their waters.

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