Help Seek Justice from Oxford for Plagiarism and Racism

Dear Friends,

The University of Oxford has committed an injustice most foul!

Please lend me your ears as I recount my harrowing experiences in this historic institution.

BREACH OF CONTRACT:

Coming from the small town of Madurai in south India, it was truly a dream come true for me when I received the offer from Oxford in 2018 to pursue my PhD on Shakespeare in the English Faculty.

The offer letter gave me the supervisor of my choice, who is an expert on Shakespeare. After I paid my tuition fees and joined Oxford, the University BREACHED THE CONTRACT of my offer letter by appointing a supervisor who does not have even a single publication on Shakespeare and who was also painfully negligent. Despite my pleas, the University refused to address this problem.

Things took a turn for the worse in November 2021 during the fourth year of my PhD studies, by which time I had spent an exorbitant sum of £100,000. My Oxford dream turned into a nightmare when my examiners failed my internal assessment known as the ‘Confirmation of Status’—not due to any shortcoming on my part, but because SHAKESPEARE apparently does not have ‘SCOPE’ for doctoral-level studies!

Well before joining Oxford, I clearly stated in my application that my PhD thesis is on Shakespeare. The ‘scope’ of my thesis has always remained the same since the time of my application. Besides, the assessment rules clearly state that evaluating the ‘scope’ of a thesis is the purpose of having an exam in the first year of PhD studies known as the ‘Transfer of Status’. I had already passed that exam in June 2019 and my previous assessors had already formally approved the ‘scope’ and ‘validity’ of my PhD thesis.

CANCELLING SHAKESPEARE AT OXFORD:

In a letter to His Majesty King Charles III, who is a lover of Shakespeare, I unravelled the cultural underpinnings of this strange decision of the assessors at Oxford:

“This astonishing proclamation that Shakespeare does not have ‘scope’ for doctoral-level study is only the culmination of the symptoms of a deeper cultural malaise of systemic cancellation of Shakespeare that seems to have been allowed to afflict this great institution for quite a while now. An example of this long-standing symptom would be: once we arrive at Oxford, we learn it is an open secret that any implication of Shakespeare being ‘unique’, ‘universal’, or ‘timeless’ in our work would be met with scorn, scepticism, and serious negative consequences in academic progression (two of my own assessment reports being cases in point, as they carry subtle warnings against this implication). In the English Faculty’s Renaissance seminar events, Shakespeare is systemically marginalized.

… Curiously, the assessors did not have a problem with the central argument of my doctoral thesis per se. The problem, as they saw it, is that I committed the original sin of choosing to ‘focus’ on Shakespeare in the first place. They concluded their report by plainly reasoning that Shakespeare does not have ‘scope’ for doctoral study.”

ACADEMIC BULLYING, PLAGIARISM, AND RACISM:

Experts worldwide have testified on record that my PhD research is ‘ground-breaking’, ‘field-changing’, ‘bold, interesting and impressive’.

So, why then is the University refusing to rectify this manifestly unjust decision? All the evidence points to PLAGIARISM by Faculty, followed by BULLYING and HARASSMENT, all aimed at protecting the theft of my intellectual property.

In addition, there is also evidence of RACISM and DISCRIMINATION in regard to the PhD exam, as well as the procedural irregularities involved in my case. The assessors used the prevalent trend of cancelling Shakespeare at Oxford to discriminate against me—for the very same assessors have approved the white students’ PhD theses on Shakespeare.

LEGAL ACTION:

Over the past two and a half years, I submitted several appeals and complaints since December 2021 to the University and the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) and pleaded with them to allow me to submit my PhD thesis and have my final viva, but to no avail. Throughout, the University has absurdly maintained that the assessors are ‘credited scholars of Shakespeare’ and that if they decide that Shakespeare does not have ‘scope’ for doctoral studies, then their ‘academic judgement’ must be accepted. The appeals and complaints processes appear to be a complete sham.

I have no choice now but to seek justice by taking legal action against the University, and I seek your kind support to fight this gross injustice.

HELP UPHOLD ACADEMIC INTEGRITY, EQUALITY, AND FAIRNESS AT OXFORD:

International students currently pay nearly thrice more than British students for tuition fees. Degrees are the sole motivation for us to spend such an exorbitant sum of money and come to Oxford.

Hailing from an underprivileged background, my journey to Oxford was marked by immense sacrifices—including by selling all the properties at my disposal and expending all the savings to meet the £100,000 PhD costs. After all this, if Oxford denies me the PhD based on such an egregiously arbitrary and whimsical excuse as Shakespeare not having ‘scope’ for doctoral studies, it is not only inhumanely unfair, but it also sets a dangerous precedent for Oxford to exploit and mistreat other students as well. Given all the important issues at stake here, helping me in my fight for justice will also ensure a fairer and safer academic environment for everyone.

As Oxford’s betrayal has sabotaged my academic career, affected my job prospects, and rendered me destitute, I earnestly seek your financial support to pursue legal action and sustain myself. Any contributions, large or small, will make an enormous difference for my cause.

Thank you so much for your solidarity!