First things first: what is the Berkeley Library?
Trinity College Dublin’s largest library – opened in 1967 – has been named after George Berkeley, the world renowned philosopher, since the 1970s. You may know the building: it’s that brutalist, concrete mass that looks like an above-ground bunker. For those students who actually make it in there, it’s a light-filled delight with lots of nooks, crannies and alcoves which are ideal for sleeping – sorry, studying.
And why is Berkeley so controversial now?
George Berkeley, born in Kilkenny in 1685, attended Trinity as a student and became a lecturer and librarian. He was quite the overachiever: while still in his 20s, he published three books upon which his fame and reputation as a philosopher rests. His Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge was published in 1710 and is regarded as his masterpiece.
Later, as Dean of Derry, he developed the idea of establishing a university in the American colonial territory of Bermuda. This eventually involved Berkeley moving to Rhode Island in 1729 where he purchased a farm which was worked on by enslaved people. More controversially, he sought to advance ideology in support of slavery and racial discrimination.
Who, exactly, has been calling for his name to be removed?
After the Black Lives Matter movement and controversies at other college campuses in the US and UK, there has been a renewed focus on links to slavery. Trinity’s Students’ Union first called for his name to be removed. The university then set up the Trinity Legacies Review Working Group, which has been considering legacy issues on a case-by-case basis. It oversaw several months of research, analysis and public consultation.
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Was anyone in favour of retaining his name?
A few: of the 93 written submissions from staff, students and experts made to the working group, 47 were in favour of “denaming” the library; 23 suggested new names; and 16 supported retaining his name.
Who made the final decision?
On Wednesday of this week, Trinity’s board decided that continued use of the Berkeley name on its library was “inconsistent with the university’s core values of human dignity, freedom, inclusivity and equality”. Trinity’s Provost, Dr Linda Doyle, said: “The landscape of a university, especially one as old as Trinity, is not static. Each generation of students and staff deserves a chance to influence decisions. In this case, it was our students who called on us to address the issue.”
So, Berkeley is cancelled?
Not quite: the university insists the “denaming” does not deny Berkeley’s importance as a writer, philosopher and towering intellectual figure. It will hold his philosophical works in its library collection which will still be taught at Trinity and remain of significant contemporary relevance.
The university says it is adopting a “retain-and-explain” approach to a stained-glass window commemorating Berkeley. Portraits depicting Berkeley will be assessed in the future by a new overall university policy on artwork, while academic gold medals memorialising Berkeley will be reviewed by relevant academic departments. Trinity says these decisions represent a “nuanced approach and are the result of careful consideration and detailed analysis”.
What will the library be known as from now on?
The university says a separate process will determine what the new name for the library should be. It seems likely that it will involve some form of consultation.
In fact, the library started out as the “New” library in 1967. Helen Shenton, the current librarian, says that another name change will prioritise the current generation of students’ experience of a welcoming and supportive space. “There is the opportunity to be creative and imaginative in response to this change,” she said.
