Unapologetically Black and Antiracist Research Training: An Exploration of PhD Students' Socialization as Antiracist Scholars

• In Event: Socialization and Cultures of Community in Doctoral Education

Abstract

The summer of 2020’s global protests highlighted anti-Blackness, racism, and police brutality that is still prevalent today. These protests sparked conversations around the deep-rooted systemic racism that exists in the United States. Following these acts, there has been a nationwide call for collective actions toward anti-racism. This study examined the impact of a year-long doctoral course inspired by the call for collective action. The course focused on anti-racist discourse on the students’ personal and scholarly identity development. Using Dei’s (2013) Critical Anti-Racist Theory, the study addressed the following two research questions: i. How does engagement with structured antiracist dialogues and reflections impact students’ scholarship? ii. How do structured antiracist dialogues and reflections impact students' awareness of their racial positionality?

Authors

• Patricia Feraud-King, College of the Holy Cross

• Jeff Edelstein, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

• Ling Chen, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

• Betty Annan, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

• Rachel Adams, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

• Saulo Depaula, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

• Alaina Macaulay, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

• Chrystal A. George Mwangi, George Mason University