‘Lord of the Rings’ Called ‘Anti-African,’ Students Outraged on Campus

Students at the University of Nottingham are upset after a history course labeled J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings as racially offensive.

The controversy comes from a module called Decolonising Tolkien et al, taught by historian Dr. Onyeka Nubia, which examines how British literature has historically reflected racial bias. According to course materials, darker-skinned characters in Tolkien’s works, including orcs and other groups, are depicted as morally corrupt, while lighter-skinned characters are shown as virtuous. The module argues these depictions tie into a long tradition of racial stereotyping.

The course also examines how Tolkien’s Eastern characters, such as Easterlings, Southrons, and the men of Harad, are portrayed as inherently evil.

The materials claim that Tolkien’s fictional races carry echoes of “anti-African antipathy,” portraying Africans as “the natural enemy of the white man.” Students are taught to consider literature through the lens of decolonization, analyzing established works from non-Western or non-white perspectives.

Dr. Nubia has written about how Africans lived in medieval England but were often erased from literature, and the course also extends its critique to C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, highlighting orientalist depictions of the Calormen. Shakespeare has also been discussed, with Dr. Nubia stating that his plays helped create an “illusion” of a racially homogenous England by omitting references to Africans.

The course has drawn criticism from some students and academics. One academic described the idea of labeling Tolkien as anti-African as “ridiculous,” saying it ignores the author’s intent and genre conventions.

A student who is familiar with the course told RadarOnline.com, “Fans of LoTR are up in arms because this feels like ideology being imposed on literature people love.” Another added that students felt pressured to accept the interpretation to pass, calling it “an overreach that turns fantasy into a political litmus test.”

While it’s important to examine literature critically, there is a fine line between thoughtful analysis and forcing modern political frameworks onto fictional worlds. Tolkien’s works are fantasy, and interpreting them solely through racial lenses may risk losing the imaginative elements that made them enduring classics.

What do you think about this debate? Share your thoughts in the comments.