Black Academics in U.K. and U.S. Universities: Race, Identity, and Whiteness

• In Event: Roundtable Session 22
  In Roundtable Session: Racial Examinations of Educator Experiences

Abstract

This paper examines the experiences of 22 BME (Black and minority ethnic) and 18 Black African American academics working in universities in the UK and USA. The aims of the paper are to explore experiences of racism and exclusion in higher education; to analyse how identity affects Black experiences in higher education and to suggest ways forward for inclusive policy making to instigate change in higher education. This paper argues that Black academics are positioned as ‘outsiders’ in the White space of the academy in which White academics occupy positions of privilege by virtue of their Whiteness. Consequently, Black academics continue to experience racism, exclusion and marginalisation in the White space of the academy.

Author

• Kalwant Bhopal, University of Southampton