Funambulism in Higher Education: A Collaborative Autoethnography of the Experience of Black Women

• In Event: Experiences of Black Women in Higher Education

Abstract

Using a Black Femnist collaborative autoethnography, this research study explores how a group of six Black women enrolled and employed in higher education leveraged the metaphor of funambulism (i.e., walking the tightrope) to describe their academic and professional experiences in higher education. Utilizing autobiographical narratives and focus group interviews co-constructed by the participants, this study examined how these Black women leveraged funambulism in their construction of their academic/professional identities and navigated their academic/professional settings. Results noted the influence of Black women ancestors, family members, and mentors, silencing the imposter syndrome, authenticity, and the role of fear, pain, and impossibility in their abilities to weave their own safety nets. Implications for this study will be discussed.

Authors

• Ashley Payne, Missouri State University

• Nicole M. West, Missouri State University

• Michele D. Smith, Missouri State University

• Whitney Akalugwu, Missouri State University