A Brecht-inspired approach to anti-racist education: working notes on the performative lecture A Lesson on Differences

Given that racism is a systemic phenomenon, institutions that are self-conscious of its existence can, however, reproduce it. In the context of the United Kingdom, there is a contradiction between the articulated discussions on institutional racism facilitated by institutional bodies and the persistence of racism within their structures. In this paper, I offer my performative lecture A Lesson on Differences (2024-present) as an example of applied practice for education that can address this social contradiction by relying on principles drawn from Bertolt Brecht’s learning play. I first provide a critical overview of the development of institutional discourse around race and racism in the United Kingdom. Then, I discuss the development of A Lesson on Differences with reference to two iterations of the piece from 2025. I conclude by assessing the advantages of a Brechtian approach – a dialectical approach – in facilitating discussions around systemic racism and its historical persistence.