Tackling Race Inequality in Higher Education

A special issue of Genealogy (ISSN 2313-5778).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2024) | Viewed by 4153

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Social Work, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
Interests: race; racism; power; social inequality; higher education; further education; ethnic minorities; NEETs; social work; sociology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are now accepting submissions for a Specialist Issue on the theme of tackling race inequality in higher education. This issue provides a focal point on systemic, racial inequity in higher education, and welcomes original and challenging research that explores the dynamics of race, racism and ethnicity in education policy, theory and practice. The goal of this Special Issue is to publish some of the best and most current work that addresses the interconnections between race, ethnicity and multiple forms of oppression including class, gender, sexuality and disability. We are inclusive and seek to broaden the representation of contributors, welcoming researchers from under-represented groups and third world countries too. It is important that authors reflect and share their own positionality, i.e., race (self-identified and perceived), gender, ethnicity and parent level of education when they were 16, as baseline information about their social location in grids of power in their articles.

Topics that would be appropriated for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to:

  • Research that explores the dynamics of race, racism and ethnicity in education policy, theory and practice, and ways to tackle inequality;
  • Writing that addresses the interconnections between race, ethnicity and multiple forms of oppression including class, gender, sexuality and disability;
  • Historical overview and identification of current systems of exclusion for students in higher education and ways to address them;
  • Research that centralizes the lived experience of racism and microaggression of students;
  • Positive interventions and inclusive education practice models;
  • Indigenous knowledge and methods of practice tackling racial inequality in higher education.

We request that prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 150 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send this to the Guest Editors c.cornish@uea.ac.uk or to /Genealogy/ Editorial Office (genealogy@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo a double-blind peer review.

Dr. Carlene Cornish
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genealogy is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • race
  • racism
  • higher education
  • exclusion
  • inequality
  • intersectionality

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 158 KiB  
Article
Through the Lens of Kara Walker’s Artwork: Exploring Race, Identity, and Intersectionality in Higher Education
by Veronica Bremer
Genealogy 2025, 9(1), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9010024 - 4 Mar 2025
Viewed by 745
Abstract
Kara Walker’s art, known for its stark depictions of race, history, and power dynamics, offers an invaluable entry point for discussing race in higher education. Integrating Walker’s work into the humanities classroom allows for critical engagement with historical and contemporary issues of race, [...] Read more.
Kara Walker’s art, known for its stark depictions of race, history, and power dynamics, offers an invaluable entry point for discussing race in higher education. Integrating Walker’s work into the humanities classroom allows for critical engagement with historical and contemporary issues of race, ethnicity, and systemic oppression. Through her use of silhouettes and narratives that expose the brutal legacies of slavery, racism, and colonialism, Walker’s art challenges students to confront uncomfortable truths and foster deeper conversations about intersectionality. Discussing Walker’s art can lead to explorations of how race intersects with class, gender, sexuality, and disability, revealing the layered and compounded experiences of marginalized groups. Through the flipped classroom approach, students were introduced to Kara Walker’s work outside of class through assigned readings and materials. During class time, discussions were facilitated by students themselves, enhancing peer-to-peer learning. The session was led by a pupil responsible for elaborating on Walker’s work and guiding the discussion. In-class time was dedicated to small-group discussions where students critically engaged with the themes in Walker’s art. These groups provided space for more intimate, reflective conversations. After small-group discussions, insights were shared in a larger panel discussion format. This allowed students to synthesize ideas, compare perspectives, and engage with a wider range of interpretations of Walker’s art. By engaging with Walker’s work, students develop a more nuanced understanding of oppression and social justice, making her art a powerful tool for transformative education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tackling Race Inequality in Higher Education)
14 pages, 218 KiB  
Article
Taking a Cross-Faculty Stand Against Racism and Inequality: What Are Enabling and Inhibiting Factors Influencing the Placement Experiences of Black, Asian, Ethnic Minoritised Students in the Schools of Social Work, Education, and Health Sciences?
by Carlene Cornish, Stephanie T. Jong, Isabella Albarran, Swati Kale, Sarah Brownsword, Cat Playfair, Sophie Vauzour, Tina Odu, Godfrey Lusigi and Virginia Shikuku
Genealogy 2025, 9(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9010021 - 25 Feb 2025
Viewed by 921
Abstract
Many Black, Asian, and ethnic minoritised students on university courses leading to professional qualifications face racism on placement. Our own institutional review at one UK university highlighted differential placement outcomes for students in the Schools of Social Work, Education, and Health Sciences. To [...] Read more.
Many Black, Asian, and ethnic minoritised students on university courses leading to professional qualifications face racism on placement. Our own institutional review at one UK university highlighted differential placement outcomes for students in the Schools of Social Work, Education, and Health Sciences. To investigate, a qualitative study was conducted between April to October 2024, using focus groups and interviews with 20 students and 19 staff (lecturers and placement supervisors from the NHS, County Council, and schools). Researchers used NVivo to support the thematic analysis of the qualitative data. Key findings identified various enabling factors, including the significance of supervisory placement support and the quality of placement environment. However, our data further confirmed several inhibiting factors, including power dynamics, systemic failures, and broken trust, contributing to racialised and oppressive placement conditions. We recommend that the university and placement providers have a dedicated system for reporting race-specific incidents to a dedicated person/team who are trained and accountable for tackling and preventing racists incidents on placements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tackling Race Inequality in Higher Education)
15 pages, 259 KiB  
Article
“When You Are in Rome, You Behave like the Romans”: International Students’ Experience of Integration Policies at a UK University
by Abass B. Isiaka
Genealogy 2025, 9(1), 12; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9010012 - 4 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1409
Abstract
Set within the context of the calls for a critical approach to the integration of international students, this paper draws on decolonial theories to examine the experiences of international students from Asian and African countries as they make sense of institutional policies designed [...] Read more.
Set within the context of the calls for a critical approach to the integration of international students, this paper draws on decolonial theories to examine the experiences of international students from Asian and African countries as they make sense of institutional policies designed to support their integration. The study uses a phenomenological approach to analyse focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with international postgraduate students. The findings reveal how international students demand the decolonisation of a “Eurocentric” curriculum and a pedagogical framework that acknowledges their experiences and agencies as epistemic equals. Participants expressed diverse opinions about the institution’s academic culture, while inclusion policies are perceived as “tokenistic gestures” that fail to address racial invalidation and microaggressions. Findings from this study suggest the need for institutions in “post-race” times to transcend superficial equality discourses that commodify diversity as “good business sense”, targeting raced, mobile, and gendered “others” for inclusion by situating EDI strategies within a much longer history of global entanglements shaped by colonial, capitalist relations, rationalities, and subjectivities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tackling Race Inequality in Higher Education)
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