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Is 'decolonising' effort a colonial act?

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Is 'decolonising' effort a colonial act?

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Only a fifth of UK universities say they are ‘decolonising’ curriculum.

They said many universities apparently failed to grasp that “decolonising the curriculum” went beyond adding black and non-western scholars to reading lists, arguing that reform should involve challenging and remaking the current pedagogy, which was rooted in imperial and colonial ideas about knowledge and learning, at an institutional level.

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Only a fifth of UK universities have committed to reforming their curriculum to confront the harmful legacy of colonialism, an investigation by the Guardian has found.

The disclosure comes as universities are under pressure to modernise their syllabuses to address the attainment gap between white students and those from black and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

The campaign to give a fuller version of British history that reflects injustices and lauds the contributions of black British people has also won widespread support from the Black Lives Matter protesters.

Academics and students said the Guardian's findings reflected a reluctance in British higher education towards addressing the impact of colonialism on present day racism.

They said many universities apparently failed to grasp that "decolonising the curriculum" went beyond adding black and non-western scholars to reading lists, arguing that reform should involve challenging and remaking the current pedagogy, which was rooted in imperial and colonial ideas about knowledge and learning, at an institutional level.

Responses to freedom of information (FoI) requests from 128 universities found only 24 said they were committed to decolonising the curriculum. Of those, 11 were committed to reform across the whole institution, with most efforts confined to a few departments, or just one, or a handful of academics and students.

Queen Mary's University of London, said decolonising was confined to the school of English and Drama, while Newman University said one course in the English department explicitly referenced decolonising the curriculum.

The University of East London reported it had run decolonising workshops in the school of art and digital industries.

Only nine of these universities had put their commitment to decolonise in writing, with just two, including Bristol University, mentioning it in their core strategic plan and another two noting it in their main curriculum framework.

Educational experts said the findings showed that little progress had been made in decolonising higher education since the Rhodes Must Fall campaign - to demand the removal of a statue of the Victorian imperialist Cecil Rhodes from Oxford University's Oriel college - began in 2015.

Fope Olaleye, black students' officer at the National Union of Students, said the lack of progress was "shocking". "Decolonising the curriculum means providing an accurate portrayal of history and providing students and staff with the tools to critically identify [how] the university reproduces colonial hierarchies. This will empower them to confront and reject the status quo and ensure knowledge production reflects our diverse society."

Prof Kalwant Bhopal, the director of the centre for research in race and education at Birmingham University, said the sector should be ashamed of the findings. She added: "Every university should have this as a priority. If it's not in the strategic plan, it's not considered important to the university."

Sunny Singh, professor of creative writing and inclusion in the arts at London Metropolitan University, one of the universities committed to decolonising, said: "Despite the small pockets of resistance, as a sector, higher education in the UK is unconcerned or not bothered, if not actively hostile, to the idea of decolonisation.

"I'm very glad I work in a university that has for the last year and a half been happier and more supportive of my efforts. But I can also say that we're an exception."

A further 84 universities said they were committed to other kinds of curriculum reform - making the syllabus more diverse, more international or more inclusive.

Of the 106 universities committed to decolonising and other forms of curriculum reform, only 35 said BAME students were formally engaged in some way in this work, although the degree to which varied widely.

Race equality specialist Sofia Akel, who last year wrote a report on racism at Goldsmiths, University of London, raised concern that universities were often leaving such curriculum reform to BAME students.

"Some universities are saying they're doing work, but what they really mean is the students are doing the work for them for free," she added. "And often they're met with hostility from senior members of staff."

Only 36 universities said they were providing relevant staff training on designing and teaching more inclusive and diverse courses - with just nine of those providing dedicated training, and three institutions making this training mandatory.

Rebecca Long-Bailey, Labour's shadow education secretary, said: "Black and Asian people and their history are hugely underrepresented in academia and throughout our education system. Understanding the breadth of Britain's history is crucial to tackling the injustices and racism in our society and around the world that persist today."

Twenty universities declared that they were currently doing no formal work to reform their syllabuses in this manner.

Akel said: "I think the universities that have just outright said no were probably the ones being the most honest because when you really drill down, it can come down to one or two academics, or a humanities subject, usually sociology, maybe anthropology."

Some universities that said they were making their curriculum more international based this on having an overseas campuses. Heriot-Watt University said students on its campuses in Dubai and Malaysia were taught the same programmes as those in the UK. A spokesman added: "This means we are more attuned to the different cultures and cultural assumptions in the programmes we teach."

Heidi Mirza, visiting professor of race, faith and culture at Goldsmiths, said the findings showed "a poverty of understanding" of what decolonisation entailed: "We've still got archaic, anachronistic tutors and curricula that's never changed. I'm shocked at how stark this is."

Mirza said other approaches, such as internationalising or diversifying the syllabus, often were a watered down approach to reform. "You can have an overseas campus but it doesn't mean you're changing your curriculum," she said. "Are you including Chinese philosophy or just a white western knowledge you're imparting in an imperialist way. It's a tourist approach to the curriculum."

The Guardian asked students involved in campaigns to decolonise the curriculum on their first thoughts to these figures.
Sabrina, 21, studying international relations, Decolonise S oas Fidec Dagongdong, 24, studying law and politics, Decolonise Keele

It doesn't surprise me. It's not in the universities' interest and nationally people don't want to see this kind of discussion take place because it requires us to revisit the UK's relationship with empire and have an honest conversation about race construction and racism which is very different than what we are told and taught. The British empire and European imperialism was founded on a white supremacist ideology which exploited the bodies and labour of Black and brown people in the colonies.

Decolonising is about de-centring Eurocentric knowledge production. It's acknowledgement of alternative forms and centres of knowledge and contribution to the world, especially from revolutionary academics and thinkers who aren't old white, middle-aged men. This is more than just about reading lists and racism.

Critics suggest that by decolonising you're erasing history, but in fact you are just accurately portraying history. If you look at the way in which the British nation has been constructed, it's very much been an exclusionary space, an exclusively white space.

Sumayyah, 21, religion, politics and society, Decolonise Kings College London

It's very hard to not just convince, but to attempt a new conversation on this issue. So the data is what I expected it to be. You can see it with the BLM protests. A lot of the comments were, like, I don't understand why these statues are being either forcibly removed or crowds are gathering, protesting for its removal.

Other students think decolonising is about completely eradicating the current system, which is not the case at all, we just want to make it more inclusive.

Why is it that in the UK in most history curriculums it's usually an elective to learn about colonisation? It's very strange considering colonising was major part of British history. When I was a teenager, I was taught about American history, but nothing about British colonialism.

I think many institutions see it as a lot of work for something they don't really care about - that's why such initiatives are usually only responses to student demands, when the work to silence these students becomes more than the work to engage with them. Also, our entire education system, and even our concept of what knowledge is, cannot be untangled from its colonial roots and once we start looking at the curriculum, we provide non-white students with the power to demand more change and more justice.

Most people I know can point to a text that they read that empowered them to advocate for change - by including such texts and ideas in the curriculum, universities know that they're placing their power structures at risk and they refuse to do that.

Attempts by universities to 'decolonise the curriculum' will always be performative without a proper confrontation of how white supremacy and colonialism continue to manifest within academic institutions. The curriculum is a product of its environment and starting and ending our work with the curriculum will not create lasting change.

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Only a fifth of UK universities say they are 'decolonising' curriculum

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Only a fifth of UK universities have committed to reforming their curriculum to confront the harmful legacy of colonialism, an investigation by the Guardian has found. The disclosure comes as universities are under pressure to modernise their syllabuses to address the attainment gap between white students and those from black and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

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Feminist theories in management and organization studies, each with their own ontological and epistemological assumptions, offer critical perspectives of the status quo to challenge our idea of progress in the discipline, yet there is limited engagement with ideas, theories, or practices from the lived experiences of Global South women. Decolonial feminism engages with debates pertaining to coloniality/modernity and indigenous identity and gender in Latin America, while providing a space for the voices and lived experiences of marginalized, non-Western(ised) women.

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In conversation with Catalina Ortiz (UCL)

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In conversation with Catalina Ortiz (UCL)

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Racialised inequalities in higher education

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Racialised inequalities in higher education

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Microsoft Word - Decolonising SOAS - Learning and Teaching Toolkit May 2018-1.docx

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Architectural education has the potential to transform and reimagine the structures of oppression that its institutions embody

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Architectural education has the potential to transform and reimagine the structures of oppression that its institutions embody

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BY MARIE-LOUISE RICHARDS, Sep 2022

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Pedagogies of power: education within and without the institution - Architectural Review

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Over the past few years, in times of social tensions and political unrest, institutions of higher education across the globe have begun the important task

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Dark Matter University: Lessons in Anti-Racist Design Pedagogy - YouTube

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Dark Matter University: Lessons in Anti-Racist Design Pedagogy

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Critical dialogues with Jag Majithia and Ludovik Sebire from UWE LIBRARY.

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Critical dialogues with Jag Majithia and Ludovik Sebire from UWE LIBRARY.

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What diversifying of reading list means? What limitations and barriers exist for the library to get access to ‘other’ worlds/knowledges/libraries which are systematically excluded in the world of knowledge? What individuals can do?
Does diversifying the reading list result in decolonising the knowledge? how to put it in practice?

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Critical dialogues by students Reps on inequalities

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Critical dialogues by students Reps on inequalities

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Awarding Gap - the challenges to creating an anti-racist environment in a Higher Education Institution. working with students from diverse groups and how to do this practically, ethically and with a mutually beneficial relationship (following awarding gap team’s goal)

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Next Step in the Racial Justice Movement

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Next Step in the Racial Justice Movement

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The attitude within allyship is problematic: ‘Stop the Denial,’ ‘Interrogate Capitalism,’ and ‘Denounce the White Saviour’

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Why Coalition, Not Allyship, Is the Necessary Next Step in the Racial Justice Movement

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“Allyship offers charity whereas coalition is more about solidarity,” Emma Dabiri tells TIME

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Decolonisation itself refers to the undoing of colonial rule over subordinate countries but has taken on a wider meaning as the 'freeing of minds from colonial ideology' in particular by addressing the ingrained idea that to be colonised was to be inferior. Decolonisation then offers a powerful metaphor for those wanting to critique positions of power and dominant culture.

When it comes to academic research decolonisation takes a number of forms, some mainstream, some more contentious. Decolonisers ask questions such as:

1. How do assumptions about power affect what we select as problems for research; who pays for this research; and what purposes does the research serve? A critique of research practice might take on the neo liberal globalisation agenda in higher education, institutional reliance on private money and an over eagerness to put knowledge at the service of the highest bidder.

2. What relationship does the researcher have with those being researched? An indigenous standpoint is that the researcher is accountable, and those doing the research must give back to the communities they study - as Keane, Khupe, and Seehawer [1] argue in discussing educational research in South Africa. In contrast, dominant research paradigms prize distance from those being research often for reasons of objectivity and bias.

3. Extending the point above, research should have an action orientation, and researchers should work with the communities they study to collaboratively seek change. For example, Zavala [2] argues for a participatory action research in looking at popular education initiatives among Chicano and indigenous communities in North America.

4. Who conducts the research? Decolonising researchers argue that indigenous communities are often un / under represented in academic research communities and hence their voices and concerns are not heard. Non-indigenous researchers can research indigenous communities but this will call for a more critical analysis of their own standpoints and more collaborative way of working. Radical voices would argue that there are limits on non-indigenous researcher involvement and researchers should not 'talk about what they don't know' [3].

5. Are bodies of knowledge distorted? Decolonisation researchers seek to explain how discourse affects the way we look at subordinate groups, as for example Said in discussing dominant, sometimes, romanticised versions of orientalism in the context of Arabic studies [4] or, earlier, Fanon in discussing culture, psychotherapy and violence in the particular context of the struggle for Algerian independence [5] . We should be aware of such distortions and consider alternative or 'counter-hegemonic' sources. These counter narratives might have to be actively sought out.

6. How is research methodology itself distorted by a dominant tradition? Here it is argued that methodology is derived from western enlightenment assumptions about individualism, the separation of mind from body and rationalism. This tradition puts positivist or pseudo scientific approaches on top when it comes to carrying out research. Other cultures have different traditions as Smith (1999) discusses in looking at indigenous communities in New Zealand. The indigenous viewpoint is to see view 'land, body, mind, and spirit as interconnected' [3] and this poses a radical critique of the assumptions made in dominant research pedagogy.

The value of decolonisation literature goes beyond any insight it offers to the research of indigenous groups. Decolonisation sensitises us to the existence of dominant discourses and the influence of dominant groups in what / who we research. It makes an appeal to be critical and reflexive throughout the research process. It provides a timely reminder that our assumptions about rationality derive from a literature that developed at a particular time and place. However there are some difficulties. How far should academic communities be characterised as representative of dominant groups? Can 'mainstream' research be of value for the issues it throws up (for example measures of inequality that quantitative researchers provide) even when academics removed from the communities they study? In practical terms what should decolonisation methodology look like?

Draw your own conclusions by examining the references below.

[1] Keane, M., Khupe, C. and Seehawer, M. (2017) Decolonising Methodology: Who Benefits From Indigenous Knowledge Research? Educational Research for Social Change (ERSC) 6, 1, April 2017, 12-24 [online] http://ersc.nmmu.ac.za/articles/ERSC_April_2017_Keane_Vol_6_No_1_pp12-24.pdf

[2] Zavala, M. (2013) What do we mean by decolonizing research strategies? Lessons from decolonizing, Indigenous research projects in New Zealand and Latin America, Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, 2, 1, 55-71.

[3] See for example Smith, L. (1999/ revised 2012) Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples, Zed Books: London. You might find this review interesting Wilson, C. (2001) Decolonizing Methodologies, Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, 17, 214-217.

[4] Said, E. (2012) Edward Said on Orientalism, film clip published on You Tube at

[5] For a discussion of Fanon held on the BBC World service go to:

The Legacy of Franz Fanon [online] http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03m10c7

[6] In interesting discussion about student criticism of dominant literature in SOAS can be found in the Guardian here:

Kenan, M. (2017) Are Soas students right to 'decolonise' their minds from western philosophers? Guardian, 19 February 2017 [online] https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/feb/19/soas-philosopy-decolonise-our-minds-enlightenment-white-european-kenan-malik

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Decolonisation itself refers to the undoing of colonial rule over subordinate countries but has taken on a wider meaning as the 'freeing of minds from colonial ideology' in particular by addressing the ingrained idea that to be colonised was to be inferior.

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White privilege doesn't always equal wealth.

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White privilege doesn't always equal wealth.

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White privilege doesn't always equal wealth.

When anti-racists bring up white privilege, at least one white person quickly reminds us that they grew up poor. 'Some privilege', they bitterly point out. But here's what they're not understanding about white privilege:

👉🏾 It doesn’t mean white people don’t face adversity (they do).
👉🏾 It doesn’t mean white people haven’t worked for the things they’ve earned (they have).
👉🏾 It doesn’t mean all white people are rich (they aren’t).
👉🏾 It also doesn’t mean white people should feel bad for being white (they shouldn’t).

I too grew up poor. At one point, we went three months with no electricity and almost three years without a car. And yet, I still had male privilege.

I never had to worry about being called a b**** for speaking my mind. At night, I didn’t have to walk with my car key sticking between my fingers ready to gouge an attacker’s eyes as I moved through the parking lot. When mom and I took the bus, I never had to worry about getting catcalls and unwanted advances.

That is male privilege. It doesn’t mean I haven’t worked hard or faced problems. It just means there are things I had and still have the luxury of not worrying about.

White privilege means you don’t have to worry about being followed when you shop and not being racially profiled by the police. White privilege means you won’t be called an affirmative action hire if you land a high-ranking position. Whether or not you are underpaid, you will likely earn more than your racially marginalized colleagues (especially if they are women) doing the same work. Chances are you will get promoted before your racially marginalized colleagues. Chances are, people that look like you will be a CEO, control the Board, and pass laws that impact everyone’s lives.

White people who deny their privilege to fight racism either don't know how racism works, aren't ready to do the work, or simply don't want to do the work. Either way, we're not gaining allies.

White privilege isn't an easy pill to swallow, but we can't achieve equity without addressing inequity. I, as a straight, able-bodied male can't be an ally for LGBTQ+, persons with disabilities, or women unless I am willing to unpack the privileges of being male, straight, and able-bodied.

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White privilege doesn't always equal wealth. When anti-racists bring up white privilege, at least one white person quickly reminds us that they grew up poor. 'Some privilege', they bitterly point out. But here's what they're not understanding about white privilege: 👉🏾 It doesn't mean white people don't face adversity (they do). 👉🏾 It doesn't mean white people haven't worked for the things they've earned (they have). 👉🏾 It doesn't mean all white people are rich (they aren't). 👉🏾 It also doesn't mean white people should feel bad for being white (they shouldn't). I too grew up poor. At one point, we went three months with no electricity and almost three years without a car. And yet, I still had male privilege. I never had to worry about being called a b**** for speaking my mind. At night, I didn't have to walk with my car key sticking between my fingers ready to gouge an attacker's eyes as I moved through the parking lot. When mom and I took the bus, I never had to worry about getting catcalls and unwanted advances. That is male privilege. It doesn't mean I haven't worked hard or faced problems. It just means there are things I had and still have the luxury of not worrying about. White privilege means you don't have to worry about being followed when you shop and not being racially profiled by the police. White privilege means you won't be called an affirmative action hire if you land a high-ranking position. Whether or not you are underpaid, you will likely earn more than your racially marginalized colleagues (especially if they are women) doing the same work. Chances are you will get promoted before your racially marginalized colleagues. Chances are, people that look like you will be a CEO, control the Board, and pass laws that impact everyone's lives. White people who deny their privilege to fight racism either don't know how racism works, aren't ready to do the work, or simply don't want to do the work. Either way, we're not gaining allies. White privilege isn't an easy pill to swallow, but we can't achieve equity without addressing inequity. I, as a straight, able-bodied male can't be an ally for LGBTQ+, persons with disabilities, or women unless I am willing to unpack the privileges of being male, straight, and able-bodied. #diversityandinclusion #racialequity #equality #antiracism #racism [Image description: white working-class worker.]

ATHEISM IS A TEMPORARY CONDITION - There is no such as Atheism. For those that would deny the existence of God, are like those that would deny that walking into oncoming traffic would kill them. The Bible calls such people fools. For it is eternally foolish and risky to hold such a believe. The fool has said in his heart that there is no God. Psalm 14:1. What you are really left with is man and his unrepentant heart..not Atheism. All know the truth but deliberately choose to suppress it in unrighteous Romans 1:18. Stop being a fool, rather repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. - Romans 1:19‭-‬21

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Every deliberately disadvantaged group you advocate for has Trans people in it. Please do not align yourself with anti-Trans views, they are straight out of the white supremacist, coloniser playbook. Trans people are not a threat to you. Trans people are not a threat to women. Trans people are not a threat to children. We are human. We have always been here. We are just trying to live. The English government has just blocked the Scottish people's democratic decision to grant Trans people the right to self ID. This is a fascist move that should scare all those who believe in democracy and human rights. If you follow me for my other types of content, please sit with any transphobia you are experiencing around this. It is a sickness that was given to us just like every other ism. And right now, it is one of the most dangerous. Black and Global Majority Trans women are the most at risk through the combination of racism and transphobia that is rampant across the globe. It is absolutely not hyperbole to say there is a Trans genocide taking place. Please do not buy into TERF idealogy, it is another repackaging of white supremacy and is the latest evolution of white feminism. If activism is not intersectional it doesn't move us forward, it enhances divisions and inequality. #TransRightsAreHumanRights

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Been a pleasure to help bring this to the screen. Please enjoy our premier episodes at 8pm on CBC television.

It's always a surreal and euphoric feeling when a show that's been a long journey to get off the ground finally makes it to the screen. Am so proud of our funny and heartfelt series -as well as my partner in crime, Gurjeet Mann, and our amazing cast and crew who have given this show their all. I think Canada, and hopefully the US and the world soon, will be swept away by the charming and loveable Singh family. We found a dream partner in CBC and are so grateful for their support and creative input! Go Bollywed! #bollywood #india #cbc #cbcgem #weddings #chandanfashion

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It's always a surreal and euphoric feeling when a show that's been a long journey to get off the ground finally makes it to the screen. Am so proud of our funny and heartfelt series -as well as my partner in crime, Gurjeet Mann, and our amazing cast and crew who have given this show their all. I think Canada, and hopefully the US and the world soon, will be swept away by the charming and loveable Singh family. We found a dream partner in CBC and are so grateful for their support and creative input! Go Bollywed! #bollywood #india #cbc #cbcgem #weddings #chandanfashion

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Paul Ladipo on LinkedIn: #diversityandinclusion #racialequity #equality #antiracism #racism | 1,470 comments

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White privilege doesn't always equal wealth. When anti-racists bring up white privilege, at least one white person quickly reminds us that they grew up poor. 'Some privilege', they bitterly point out. But here's what they're not understanding about white privilege: 👉🏾 It doesn't mean white people don't face adversity (they do).

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Critical dialogues with Diana Phiri-Witty. 

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Critical dialogues with Diana Phiri-Witty. 

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How to interrogate Eurocentric views and not just include, but centre those narratives that have been ‘othered’.

Urban Symbiotics are an insight and research-led multi-disciplinary design, architecture and masterplanning practice that focuses on user experience to provide unified design solutions. They believe that it is only by truly engaging communities and understanding how people live and aspire, that the development of unique integrated and relevant spaces can take place. Their work in placemaking is underpinned by the innovative use of insight, engagement and codesign.

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Reimagine the Black Cultural Archives - redefining the home of black British history, through engagement and innovative design solutions

Littlehampton, Sussex, UK - design of a sensitive and flexible residential scheme within a town centre and conservation area

Made in Barnet, London, UK - development of a co-located industrial and residential development scheme highlighting new ways of living and working

Liwan Village, Hjoula, Lebanon - Design of a mountain top masterplan with a focus on wellbeing and intergenerational living

Purley Regeneration Framework, Croydon, UK - a community led vision for the future development of Purley that includes public realm, masterplanning, sustainability and meanwhile strategies for a forward-thinking placemaking strategy for Croydon Council

Student Centric, Private Dorm Concept, Middle East - Design and development of a holistic student accommodation development that meets future student needs and aspirations

Gascoigne Estate, Barking and Dagenham, UK - Community Engagement for the current and future residents of a prominent estate regeneration scheme

Kents Hill, Milton Keynes, UK - a tiered mixed use Masterplan that focusses on a new mixed use residential neighbourhood around a new hospital scheme

Walton Manor, Milton Keynes, UK - a Masterplan and scheme in Milton Keynes that focusses on an integrated community and green network

Community Hub, Dagenham, London, UK - a mixed use community building that establishes and enhances its high street setting in dagenham

COVID pop up garden and wayfinding, Black Cultural Archives, London, UK - strategy and implementation of an updated environment for the BCA to meet the COVID-19 guidance whilst creating ambient, and enhanced spaces and clear wayfinding

Peoples Pavilion - a competition that invites young people to work in partnership with professionals to design and build their own space (pavilion), which will be built in east london

Future Cities Programme Nigeria - a project that focusses on community and stakeholder engagement, a masterplan and urban renewal guidelines for Lagos and Abeokuta as part of the global future cities project run by UN Habitat

Almaty Strategic Masterplan - A bottom-up stakeholder informed 2050 city spatial strategy and vision that sets the vision and development agenda for the city as well as setting its spatial and economic growth plans

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Urban Symbiotics - Insight Lead Innovation

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Reimagine the Black Cultural Archives - redefining the home of black British history, through engagement and innovative design solutions Littlehampton, Sussex, UK - design of a sensitive and flexible residential scheme within a town centre and conservation area Made in Barnet, London, UK - development of a co-located industrial and

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Critical dialogues with Dr Tanzil Shafique from University of Sheffield on ethics of knowledge production

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Critical dialogues with Dr Tanzil Shafique from University of Sheffield on ethics of knowledge production

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How do assumptions about power affect what we select as problems for research; who pays for this research; and what purposes does the research serve?

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The fifth in this blog series on Living Black at University was written by Find out more about the Unite Students' Commission here. Mia Liyanage, the author of our HEPI Debate Paper 23, Miseducation: decolonising curricula, culture and pedagogy in UK universities. Mia is a decolonisation advocate and the former Co-Chair of Common Ground Oxford, a student movement challenging racism, classism and the legacy of colonialism in both the University and the city of Oxford. She is currently Race Equality Charter Officer at Goldsmiths, University of London and an Associate at Advance HE.
What motivates students to take on Access and Outreach work? Time-consuming and often unremunerated, students are rarely doing it for the perks. For some, Access work is a means of giving back to an institution we feel has been the making of us. For others, it's a commitment to social mobility and equitable access. For many, especially those of us with backgrounds or identities underrepresented in higher education, it's both. Engagement in Outreach work, however, is rarely as high from students from underrepresented backgrounds as our institutions would like - and, from my own experiences, I've seen it dwindle as students progress through their degrees. This lack of engagement is often accepted without interrogation, and Access and equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) policies alike unfold without addressing it. But what if the way we approach access to university - and our failures to link it adequately to inclusion at university - make it more difficult for our minoritised students to engage in Access work?

Living Black at University, a new report from Halpin and Unite Students, throws the experiences of Black students in university accommodation into sharp relief. As a former student activist now working in anti-racism in higher education, I know all too well how students' lived experiences can remain invisible to their institutions. This report reveals, for instance, that 75 per cent of Black students have had their mental health impacted by racism and 54 per cent of Black students have experienced racism in their student accommodation. As someone deeply passionate about foregrounding student voices, it's fantastic to see qualitative data harnessed in this report to confront institutions with the true impact of their structures, policies and environments. Evidence such as this demonstrates that our universities are not neutral spaces; that, to paraphrase Angela Davis, our systemically racist society demands that our institutions be actively anti-racist.

The report makes key interventions for our sector. It shows that EDI efforts must be led by specificity: the barriers Black students face are distinct from those that impact other marginalised identities, and should be treated as such. It demands that we look at issues like awarding gaps holistically in a context where they are frequently misinterpreted through deficit-model thinking. Policies to counteract awarding gaps for Black students and students of colour often aim to equip minoritised students with skills they are assumed to lack. Similar thinking is baked into the labelling of these as 'attainment' gaps - terminology that places the onus for this failure on students rather than on institutions. On the contrary, this report shows us that awarding gaps are caused by far more than what goes on in the classroom. I have written previously about the need to decolonise the whole university - decolonisation's co-option as an industry buzzword seems to have also limited its usage to curricula in many spaces. This report gives me the language to explain the decolonisation project's relevance to areas such as Student Services, Wellbeing and Counselling.

The barriers facing Black students are misunderstood on the learning and teaching side, too. Contrary to what many of us assume about student engagement and awarding gaps, the 2021 Student Academic Experience Survey from HEPI and Advance HE found that Black students consistently show the highest levels of engagement, and the highest incidence of skills development, despite juggling high levels of working, volunteering and caring responsibilities relative to students of other ethnicities.

We struggled with feelings of co-option, all too aware that our university wanted our faces to grace their prospectuses while shying away from the work required to make our staged smiles genuine.

However, the learnings from this report apply to Access and Outreach, too - an area which does not always adequately consider race. Reading the report brought to mind my own time at university, where I was heavily involved in both Access and Outreach work and anti-racist student activism. As students from underrepresented backgrounds committed to social justice, Access work seemed a natural avenue for students of colour. But the experiences my Black peers faced when they returned to their colleges each night - where in some cases they were the only Black student - were deeply violent. The different but related experiences my fellow students of colour and I had were impossible to square with the impression of a fair, open, world-class institution that we had formed at Open Days. And now, as Outreach Ambassadors and Access Officers, we were expected to pass that impression on to others like us - all while our institution failed to see or deal with the exclusion, othering and discrimination we were experiencing. As we grew to wonder as our degrees progressed - what is access without inclusion? And having not experienced the latter, could we really continue to engage in the former?

Speaking to friends about my ideas for this article, we laughed wryly about 'the Access to activism pipeline' - a trajectory so well-known to us but so unknown to, or at least unacknowledged by, many institutions. I had similar conversations with peers while on a recent panel in Oxford focused on student activism. Dark humour aside, we discussed how we had each made calls on when, how and whether to engage in Access work. Each person's decision-making was deeply personal, but we were all guided by the desire to tell prospective students the truth about what they might experience, while being pragmatic about the opportunities attending our institution could bring.

Selfishly, as current students, we were desperate to see more faces like ours on campus and - most importantly - to hear their perspectives on our courses and in our common rooms. After a while, though, many of us had such poor experiences that pretending otherwise to young people felt like a waste of energy, and we turned to work that challenged our institution's poor record instead. We struggled with feelings of co-option, all too aware that our university wanted our faces to grace their prospectuses while shying away from the work required to make our staged smiles genuine. Our institution, like many others, had focused on Access while ignoring inclusion.

Living Black at University is not merely a set of unfortunate facts about the impact of systemic racism in student halls. It is a rare glimpse into the myriad factors that affect Black students' sense of belonging. Many seem to think there is no place for these discussions in Access and Outreach work; that admitting an institution has work to do will damage its reputation with prospective students. I tend to find it is not transparency, but opacity, that gives students pause. Ultimately, students of colour know that our society is racist - and they certainly do not expect their campus to be the exception. Denying that our progress on Access does not match our progress on inclusion only confirms to prospective students that something is being hidden from them. Instead, these issues should be afforded the nuance, recognition, and consequent action that Black students - and all minoritised students - deserve.

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Living Black at University Blog Series: The violence Black students experience at university should remind us that Access means little without inclusion￼ - HEPI

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The fifth in this blog series on Living Black at University was written by Mia Liyanage, the author of our HEPI Debate Paper 23, Miseducation: decolonising curricula, culture and pedagogy in UK universities. Mia is a decolonisation advocate and the former Co-Chair of Common Ground Oxford, a student movement challenging racism, classism and the legacy of colonialism in both the University [...]

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MAKING THE LANGUAGE OF ASSESSMENT INCLUSIVE

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MAKING THE LANGUAGE OF ASSESSMENT INCLUSIVE

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Making the Language of Assessment Inclusive

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This QAA Collaborative Enhancement Project (CEP) is led by the University of the West of England in partnership with the University of Hertfordshire, the University of Brighton and the University of Greenwich. CEPs offer funding for small groups of member institutions to work together on projects to…

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Last year Edward Peck, the government's student support champion, told a gathering of student accommodation professionals that a sense of belonging in first year accommodation was an important contributor to student mental health.

The speech took place at the Joint Codes Conference last November and provided recognition for something we all knew - for resident students, feeling like they belong in their student accommodation is much more than a nice-to-have.

Let's turn this on its head. Feeling excluded in what is supposed to be your home at university is not the basis for positive mental health, a good student experience and hardly conducive to academic achievement.

We've known for some years how important it is for students to develop a sense of belonging as part of their academic experience thanks to the work of Liz Thomas, but now it's time to turn that spotlight on student accommodation. It could be a vital step in addressing a sector-wide issue that seems resistant to change - the degree awarding gap.

Mind the gap

The Unite Students' Living Black at University report, published a year ago, found a significant "belonging gap" of 28 percentage points between Black and White students, specifically in relation to their accommodation.

Like the degree awarding gap, it is important that this is not framed as a deficit because it is certainly not the fault of the students themselves. The report outlined the many contributors to this gap, including exclusion, microaggressions and racism from other students and sometimes from staff, and incidents of racial profiling by security teams.

Lack of representation among accommodation staff was also raised, which became important when students tried to reach out for help resolving these issues. And the routes, and the rights, to complain were not made clear.

Other less obvious factors also contributed to a sense of alienation. Moving to a new city where familiar foods and haircare are difficult to find is challenging. We recognise the sense of 'culture shock' for international students, but we seem to have underestimated its impact on Black British students moving from a large city to a provincial town.

Students who spoke to the Halpin research team shared the daily toil of dealing with microaggressions and exclusion, the seeming futility of seeking help and the impact on their mental health. I repeat, this is hardly conducive to academic achievement. Moreover, students talk to one another.

We don't know how many Black students have been put off moving away to university because they have heard these stories, but we have been given anecdotal examples since the research was published.

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It would have been easy for the student accommodation sector - university teams and private providers - to throw their hands in the air and declare that most of these things are outside their control, but that's not what happened.

There has been a strong and sustained interest in this report. We know that it's still being discussed in universities across the UK, action is being taken and that there's a hunger for more granular recommendations, guidance and examples of good practice.

In response, the Unite Students Commission on Living Black at University was set up to bring together sector leaders to produce guidance, share relevant research and practice and to build capacity in the sector for change.

Over the coming months, the Commission will be publishing a series of toolkits to help accommodation teams address the report's recommendations, while calling for case study examples from across the sector - including students' unions - to help share good practice. We are also holding a free conference in Newcastle on Tuesday 7th March to bring together university EDI leads and student accommodation leaders from across the UK.

It's been encouraging to witness such commitment and momentum across the student accommodation sector, but there is still the risk that not nearly enough will change. If the wider higher education sector simply looks on and nods at 'accommodation getting its house in order' then we will have missed an opportunity.

Providing an equitable experience for Black students in accommodation is essential, but it addresses only part of the landscape of disadvantage that Black students face in higher education. To be most effective, it needs to be treated as a joined-up effort with academic and student support initiatives to close the awarding gap once and for all.

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To make progress on the awarding gap we must also address the belonging gap | Wonkhe

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Last year Edward Peck, the government's student support champion, told a gathering of student accommodation professionals that a sense of belonging in first year accommodation was an important contributor to student mental health.

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Creating a Racially Inclusive University with Amatey Doku

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Creating a Racially Inclusive University with Amatey Doku

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Creating a Racially Inclusive University with Amatey Doku

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Listen to this episode from Belong in HE on Spotify. Welcome to the first episode of Belong in HE! In conversation with Amatey Doku, we explore how to create racially inclusive universities for students and staff alike.

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Led by young creative thinkers, we advocate for sector and cultural change through campaigns, research projects, industry consultation and our creative agency services.

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Rising is a genuinely youth-led creative agency. We support Bristol’s underrepresented creatives aged 18-30 to create radical social change.

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Tackling all forms of discrimination and harassment

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Tackling all forms of discrimination and harassment

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Changemaker Podcast Ep #3 - Speak Up: Tackling all forms of discrimination and harassment by UWE Bristol

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Ana Miguel-Lazaro and Rania Regaieg talk about how UWE Bristol is making a stand against all forms of discrimination, harassment, and inappropriate behaviour through its SpeakUp campaign. Drawing from their own experiences of harassment, they talk about the campaign and how it is effecting change across the University and the student community

More about UWE Bristol’s SpeakUp campaign: www.uwe.ac.uk/speakup

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Decolonising spaces of geographical knowledge production: ‘Thinking geographically’ with undergraduate geographers in the RGS-IBG at Kensington Gore

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Decolonising spaces of geographical knowledge production: ‘Thinking geographically’ with undergraduate geographers in the RGS-IBG at Kensington Gore

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A guidebook for community organizations, researchers, and funders to help us get from insufficient understanding to more authentic truth

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Why Am I Always Being Researched? - Chicago Beyond

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Why Am I Always Being Researched?  A guidebook for community organizations, researchers, and funders to help us get from insufficient understanding to more authentic truth Download Guidebook “Pictured: Jonte” This guidebook is based on one singular premise: if evidence matters, we must care how it gets made. As an impact investor that backs the fight…Continue reading →

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A survey of current practice in the UK

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Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook

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Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook [Tunstall, Elizabeth (Dori), Agi, Ene] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook