Throughout its history, Nursery World has been engaged in discussions around race and racism, reflecting shifting societal attitudes. Much of the early content, steeped in societal norms and biases, would be considered offensive and racist today. Notwithstanding this, Nursery World provided an early platform for addressing race within the context of nursery education, paving the way for the more inclusive and socially aware discussions we see in the publication today.
In 1936, Ursula Wise (the pseudonym of educationalist and psychoanalyst Susan Isaacs) received a letter from anx
ious nanny ‘A.C.D.’, seeking advice about her charge's fear of black men. Wise explained that the child had associated feelings of hostility and aggression with images of darker skinned characters from books and the theatre.
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