Through the readings for this blog post, an initial quote that stuck out to me was regarding education: ‘whiteness is an invisible structural feature of the institution.’ (Garrett, R. 2024) For BAME students and academics they have to navigate academia through an structural, institutialised white lens in which practices ‘shape specific understandings of what is considered to be professional, and this can result in pressure to assimilate to white.’ (Garrett, R. 2024) These points make think back to blog post 1 in which Ade Adeption discussion on discrimination by design in regards to buses, academic institutions needs to be re-designed from the ground up, as Rhianna Garrett goes on to say: ‘a more nuanced approach to intersectional cultural institutional change that goes beyond optical diversity.’ (Garrett, R. 2024)
This cultural framework is highlighted by Alice Bradbury, in regards to children where English isn’t their first language: ‘the idea that bilingual students are a ‘challenge’ for schools is made normal through policy documentation which lists how they should be supported.’ (Bradbury, A. 2020) This underlines how policy and traditional frameworks are implemented from an early age which ultimately carry on through to later life. This is again highlighted through Asif Sadiq’s Ted Talk on diversity, equity and inclusion: ‘whether in primary or secondary school, did we learn about the British Empire from the perspective of the coloniser or the colonised?’ (Sadiq, A 2023). It’s clear from these sources that the system of education as a whole needs to be reworked as Asif goes on to talk about the importance of inclusivity and diverse perspectives: We must diversify the content we teach and localise it, allowing teams and individuals to discuss what diversity means to them.’ (Sadiq, A 2023) His positionally as a person of colour underpins the importance of diverse perspectives, as he mentions specifically: ‘successes in diverse communities’ (Sadiq, A. 2023) to challenge the notion of our underlying biased perspectives of others. For young children especially it’s crucial that they see themselves represented in positive positions. In contrast, in the video ‘The School That Tried to End Racism’ a white student positioned at the front of the privilege walk remarks: ‘It feels quite weird because if you think about it, I think all of us should be at the same point.’ (Channel 4, 2020) To me this highlights the importance of understanding our own positionally in relation to others, as speaking from a white perspective it is not something often consciously considered due to predominately white framework we’re engrossed in, whereas for others it’s something they have to confront on a daily basis.
The video ‘The charity turning UK universities woke’ Dr. Vincent Harinam says how the University of Cambridge is not institutionally racist as a report found ‘that over the past five years, there have been five instances of a formal report to HR of racism.’ (Orr, J. 2022) As we are aware working at a University, and through resources in the workshops provided highlight how many instances of racism go unreported and the process itself can be harmful for those reporting. His view disregards the nuance of institutionalised racism and view it as a statistical formality, if a survey was done asking students about experiences of racism within the university I think it would tell a very different story
Bibliography
Channel 4. (2020) The School That Tried to End Racism. [Online}. Youtube. 30 June. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I3wJ7pJUjg
Garrett, R. (2024). Racism shapes careers: career trajectories and imagined futures of racialised minority PhDs in UK higher education. Globalisation, Societies and Education.
Orr, J. (2022) Revealed: The charity turning UK universities woke. The Telegraph [Online]. Youtube. 5 August. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRM6vOPTjuU
Sadiq, A. (2023) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Learning how to get it right. TEDx [Online}. Youtube. 2 March. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR4wz1b54hw
Hi James
I liked the way you’ve picked up on the issue or bilingual children on how education systems look through it with a white lens, how many of us have the great skills knowing more than one language, for someone like myself I’ve always had to speak to my mum in her mother tongue when explaining things Like her medical health issues. At university our students come from such a diverse country and heritage backgrounds so hopefully, we embrace their knowledge and through this method they can teach us to.
I like the idea of racism and racial comments should be recorded in surveys, we know at the university that we have the system tell someone, but as we discovered this process can take so long that students lose faith in it. Therefore, students do not report racial comments. As a university if we’re willing to take on so many international students, we must ensure their safety and respect is met while they’re with us, and not just sit on the fence or look at things through a single lens.
Hi Navin,
Thanks for your comment. “We embrace their knowledge and through this method they can teach us to.” – I completely relate to this point. In my role, and I assume for you also, I find the discussions are so much more rewarding when you treat the student as a fellow practitioner who’s there to learn but also someone to be learnt from, I find this is something I try to achieve when speaking to students. It’s unfortunate that students lose faith in the systems that are in place due to them being so long and convoluted and I definitely think this is something the university should address.
Hi James,
I like that you acknowledge how white privilege operates at institutional levels but also at personal levels by mentioning how your own ‘white perspective’ means that such issues may not affect you but you recognise how people from ethnic backgrounds will be confronted with an face challenges of racism on a daily basis.
You made an important point about how the Cambridge video disregards the nuances of institutionalised racism and that a student survey would likely produce different results. There is a clear reluctance from academic institutions to recognise their role in perpetuating racial discrimination and white supremacy. We need to take ownership of our roles in this and how we can try to dismantle the current systems – universities should be places where social justice is taught and enacted without fear of being called ‘woke’.
Hi Dalia,
Thanks for your comment. The PG Cert in general has highlighted the importance to me about acknowledging your own positionally – i’d like to think I have considered it before but not to the depth I have recently and I have found it’s a good starting point to understanding where your biases might fall and how to best rectify that.
It does feel like institutions as a whole are more concerned about stats than actual systematic change, as many discussions within the workshops and also I’ve found with students highlight.
Hi James,
I found the same troubling fact with Orr’s disregard for institutionalised racism claiming the University of Cambridge to be ‘not institutionally racist’ despite the formal reports saying otherwise. It extends into how easy it can be denied when there is little formal evidence of it, however it should not warrant the complete dismissal of institutionalised racism. Extending to your points on Sadiq’s TED talk and Channel 4’s The School That Tried to End Racism, understanding your own positionality can help to reshape the system of education where inclusivity and diversity are considered to tackle institutional racism at its root.
Best,
Priscilla
Hi Priscilla,
Thanks for your comment. I found that video highlighted a core issue of institutions reactions to systematic racism – as mentioned it’s something that will often not go reported as the systems in place don’t actively support it, or in some cases, make it almost purposely difficult. Whether it’s word of mouth, or general discussions, institutions should ask themselves why conversations about racism are so prevalent and what can be done at the ground level to address it.