Visible Invisible: Black Women in British Higher Education

• In Event: Intersectional Challenges and Successes of Women in Higher Educational Leadership Internationally: Autoethnographic Reflections

Abstract

Objective
The aim of this paper is to explore race and gender in the context of higher education, analysing the experiences of Black women in academia to create a better understanding of what it is to be Black and a woman in contemporary British society.

Theoretical Framework
The main themes of this paper are elaborated through the lens of critical Black feminism. Concepts and theories serve to elucidate the discrimination suffered by Black women. Black feminism centres on the experiences of Black women, understanding their position in relation to racism, sexism, and classism, as well as other social and political identities. Black women have been excluded from mainstream feminism because of their race, while simultaneously being excluded from black liberation movements because of their gender (Collins, 2000). Black feminism highlights and engages with the many aspects of identity that women have, which is significant because it gives them the opportunity to talk about being Black parallel to gender inequality (Collins, 2000). Despite the prejudice and discrimination, they faced, Black women were and continue to be critical to the black liberation and gender equality movements.

Techniques and methods of inquiry
This paper uses a conceptual approach. It presents an overview of key current issues of inequality which emerge through sophisticated and everyday racism (XX). This article focuses on the context of academia and draws on extensive research carried out between 2012 and 2016. Successive iterations of empirical research have informed the development of the concepts (sophisticated racism, white women syndrome), which I detail in this paper.

Conclusions
The historical origins of inequalities influence how Black women are described and regarded. The damaging impact of everyday and sophisticated racism intersects with sexism. White women do not offer unequivocal support to their Black colleagues and may even undermine their career progression. When Black women gain leadership roles, the traditional characteristics associated with leaders often conflict with the stereotypical expectations of Black women. A closer examination of higher education reveals the extent of the racial trauma endured by Black women and the resultant decline in their wellbeing.

Scholarly Significance of the Work
The scholarly significance of the work relates to the detailed lived experience of Black women such as me that underpin the concepts which are explored in the work. The conclusions which emerge enrich insights into what it is to be Black and a woman in contemporary society. They also provide scholars with fresh terminology to enable the clear identification of phenomena such as sophisticated racism and white women syndrome.

Author

• Victoria Showunmi, University College London - IOE