Jason Arday: Cambridge's DEI darling

The progressive world loves a good fairy tale. Autistic and totally mute till the age of 11, Professor Jason Arday only learned to read and write at 18. Since then, he has blazed through the academic ranks, from a lectureship in physical education in 2016, to a Cambridge Professorial Chair in Sociology in 2023 — the youngest black professor ever appointed there. He has helped the Government with its antiracism strategies; advised on the national curriculum; guest-edited the Today program; and been the subject of a glowing profile on Good Morning America. His writing has been enthusiastically praised by James O’Brien and David Lammy. His fans now await his memoir, to be published in a month’s time. It seems likely to be an incredible read. In various interviews, Arday has claimed to have co