Racism shapes careers: career trajectories and imagined futures of racialised minority PhDs in UK higher education, Globalisation, Societies and Education, Rhianna Garrett (11 Feb 2024).
In this post, I will focus on this paper by Rhianna Garett, which has fascinated my interest since day one. Garett’s research explored how career trajectories and imagined futures of racialised minority PhD students are affected by their intersectional identities and experiences at university. For instance, more than 90% of UK professorships are predominantly held by white professors (Advance HE 2022). The disparity is even starker when considering Black female professors only 61 out of almost 23,000 white professors in the UK. This statistic of underrepresentation of racialised minority academic staff in UK universities is also reflected in PhD student population. At the same the statistical report on staff compared white and Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) academic pipeline progressions found that the number of white students progressing to professorship increases each year, but the number of BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) students and academics decreases annually.
This larger disparity underscores the need to engage more deeply with how racism affects academic career trajectories and at the same time to encourage the institutions to take a more nuanced approach to intersectional cultural institutional change that goes beyond optical diversity.
I find the outcomes of this paper particularly compelling, as these issues were quite prevalent during my own PhD studies in 2012 and continue up until now. Although I studied Computer Science—a field with a very different environment from the Social Sciences discussed in the paper—I encountered almost similar challenges. For over three years, I studied full-time on a scholarship that only covered tuition fees, which meant I had to work part-time to cover my living expenses. This resulted in all the social events or networking opportunities which are crucial for academic and professional advancement, also pose a challenge for me to attend.
During my study, I was placed in a dedicated PhD space with predominantly white students, which presented significant struggles and challenges. Initially, I thought this issue was unique to my institution, but conversations with other friends pursuing PhDs at different institutions revealed similar experiences. I felt a lack of representation, belonging, and visibility in this space. There was also a shortage of mentors and role models who shared my racial background, making it difficult to find guidance and support that understood my intersectional experiences. The existing mentors often failed to address the specific challenges I faced as a racialised minority. I wish I had access to a mentorship program that could connect to my identities and intersectional backgrounds and guide me in navigating the space and planning my career for a better experience in the future.
One of the most significant challenges I faced was social integration. After classes or research sessions, my peers often went to pubs or bars to relax. As a Muslim and someone raised in Malay culture, drinking alcohol or going to pubs was not part of my routine. However, socialising in these settings was crucial for bonding over shared research interests and expectations. I would join them initially, ordering non-alcoholic drinks or fruit juice. However, this became a running joke, leading to embarrassment and eventually causing me to stop joining them altogether. The loud environment in pubs also hindered meaningful conversations. As English is not my first language, understanding conversations amidst the noise was challenging. I often just smiling and nodding my head, pretending to understand.
Upon completing my studies, I decided not to pursue an academic career or work in a research institute, despite being offered a work placement. The decision was easy to make as I was so desperate to leave an environment where I felt like an outsider, pressured to conform to white norms, and lacked the necessary support and mentorship. As Garett’s paper highlights, racialised minority academics often feel compelled to assimilate into academic spaces, struggle to express their authentic identities, and lack the necessary support systems.
References:
AdvanceHE. 2022. Equality in Higher Education: Statistical Reports 2022.
Ahmet, Akile. 2020. “Who is Worthy of a Place on These Walls? Postgraduate Students, UK Universities, and Institutional racism.” Area 52 (4): 678–686. https://doi.org/10.1111/area.12627.
Bhambra, Gurminder K, Dalia Gebrial, and Kerem Nişancıoğlu. 2018. Decolonise the University. London: Pluto Press.
Bhopal, Kalwant, and Clare Pitkin. 2020. “‘Same old Story, Just a Different Policy’: Race and Policy Making in Higher Education in the UK.” Race Ethnicity and Education 23 (4): 530–547. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2020.1718082.
Curtin, Nicole, Janet Malley, and Abigail J. Stewart. 2016. “Mentoring the Next Generation of Faculty: Supporting Academic Career Aspirations Among Doctoral Students.” Research in Higher Education 57 (6): 714–738. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-015-9403-x.
Garrett, Rhianna. 2024. ““I’m Not White”: Counter-Stories from Mixed Heritage Women Navigating PhDs.” Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: An International Journal, https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-03-2023-0097.
Jones, Kenneth, and Tema Okun. 2001. “White Supremacy Culture.” In Dismantling Racism: A Workbook for Social Change Groups, edited by Kenneth Jones, and Tema Okun, 1–8. Changework.