Key facts
- Professor Jason Arday has canceled promotional events for his memoir, "Great and Unfortunate Things."
- Arday resigned from his academic post at Cambridge University amid allegations of plagiarism.
- The memoir is set to be published in the US on Tuesday and in the UK on August 27.
- Events at the Royal Geographical Society and a bookshop in Edinburgh were canceled at the speaker's request or by the bookshop.
- Reviewers have questioned improbable claims made in Arday's memoir regarding his childhood and fundraising efforts.
Professor Jason Arday has canceled promotional events for his forthcoming memoir, "Great and Unfortunate Things," following a series of allegations concerning academic dishonesty and plagiarism. Arday resigned from his position as a professor of sociology of education at Cambridge University on Wednesday amid the growing controversy.
His memoir, which details his "non-verbal childhood" and resilience, is scheduled for release in the US on Tuesday and in the UK on August 27. However, two events intended to promote the book have been called off. A "fireside chat" at the Royal Geographical Society's annual conference, where Arday was expected to discuss racial inequality, was canceled "at the request of the speaker." Similarly, an event at Topping and Co bookshop in Edinburgh, where Arday was to speak about his memoir, has also been canceled.
The allegations against Arday surfaced after The Telegraph reported that parts of his PhD thesis were identical or near-identical to another student's work, with over 180 passages identified. Further scrutiny has been placed on other claims made by Arday, including his assertion that he ran 600 miles in six days for charity and that he single-handedly raised £5.5 million. Arday has since admitted that the fundraising was a group effort involving approximately 100 people, though he could not name them due to non-disclosure agreements. He also clarified that the 600-mile run took 12 days, not six.
Arday has attributed his alleged plagiarism to autism, explaining that he absorbs information through mimicry. The University of Cambridge had announced an investigation into his academic qualifications and honorary appointments shortly before his resignation. Despite the controversies, his publisher, Simon & Schuster, has maintained that the memoir's publication will proceed as planned, describing it as a story of "improbable triumphs."