It is important to acknowledge that more needs to be done in relation to decolonisation in the HE setting. Although there is more diversity within student and staff populations and policies to both protect and support minority groups at UAL, ‘colonial perceptions and mindsets are embedded into the fabric of our institutional structures’ (Jethani, Panesar and Patel, 2018). What struck me from watching the set materials presented online, was the majority of negative and narrow viewpoints that viewers expressed within the comments section, displaying a troubling, wider perspective on this issue. It is not clear if these comments originate within the UK specifically or if they come from a global perspective, but the concerning element was how so many displayed a lack of knowledge, understanding, empathy and willingness to learn or change.
In his Ted Talk challenging traditional diversity teaching, Asif Sadiq refers to the lack of relatable role models and senior figures during his experience at University: ‘How can I become something I can’t see?’ (Sadiq, 2023). This addresses that in Higher Education, there needs to be more diverse role models in order to shift away from a predominantly white demographic amongst both curriculum content and teaching staff. In Garett’s study ‘Racism Shapes Careers’, she notes that ‘professorships are predominantly occupied by white professors (90.1%)’ (Garrett, 2018).
Within my research I came across the student led campaign ‘UAL SO WHITE’ from 2016, that exposed how only 9% of academic job roles at UAL were occupied by B.A.M.E staff. Looking at the most recent report from 22-23, this has risen to 24.8% and 10% for ‘other’, with the result that proportionally (and optically) this is an improvement, however white staff still are in the majority. This review also does not take into job satisfaction, and the turnover of staff in these roles.
In their study Garrett also explains how PHD students were likely to have positive experiences when supported by mentors who share their heritage, however ‘their support systems usually came from other forms of mentorship and community formed by others’ rather than the institution itself’ (Garett, 2024). The hypervisibility of racialised minority academics was also noted to potentially discourage students from pursuing academic careers. This highlights that although a relatable role model was supportive, the pressure minority academics felt in these positions alongside experiencing differential treatment, shows that they find it harder to progress in their roles because of the institutional environment. Bradbury suggests to shift the focus ‘from proving that white people gain, to examining how they gain; this is a more in-depth question which is more likely to reveal and disrupt racial inequality’ (Bradbury 2020).
I found Duna Sabri’s report from 2017 on student’s experience of Identity and Attainment at UAL really interesting to reflect on in my own teaching. They mention the importance of the ‘feedback conversation’ (Sabri, 2017) and how tutors are more likely to respond with ‘I don’t understand’ to international, black and minority ethnic students, and how this can be perceived as a ‘rejection of their work’ (Sabri, 2017). This shows a need to broaden our understanding as teachers; to ask more questions, be curious and both acquire and share knowledge with students who may offer new or different perspectives on diverse cultures in order that students from all backgrounds feel a sense of belonging equally.
Some good reflections here — well done for bringing yourself to read the comments on these videos, I can never bear to! But I think in this context it is interesting to see what other external parties are saying. As you say, there are global as well as national tides of opinion on these subjects which shape the discourse, and sadly negative voices often speak the loudest. As you say, it is deeply upsetting to see the lack of knowledge, understanding and empathy.
I didn’t have space to discuss everything I wanted to in my blog, so I am glad to see you addressing the topic of staff retention and satisfaction when it comes to minority groups. It would be good to see stats on that side of things as well as merely recruitment, as anecdotally I have heard of a variety of different experiences (positive and negative) — it would be good to see these more clearly quantified.
Your reflections on the visibility of racialised minority staff members are also interesting to read — the pressure said academics experience in their roles has been widely spoken about, the challenge now is reflecting on how it might be possible to change this.
There have been a few times where I have been confronted by students work which I am fully aware I do not fully understand for cultural reasons. My general response to this is to try and allow them to be my teacher — firstly by showing a genuine interest in their subject (which invariably IS interesting!) and then, while acknowledging my own lack of knowledge, making it very clear that I want to understand — both that I welcome further context from them, and that I will do my own research. By being proactive about getting informed I am better placed to judge their projects on their own merits, rather than on their chosen subject which I might or might not be culturally familiar with.
I think you make a really good point about allowing the students to be our teachers, and give them the space to enlighten us on cultural aspects of a subject that may be new or unknown to us. I think demonstrating a willingness to learn and understand could be a good way to show how learning is active and dynamic, and that we can all benefit from sharing knowledge. Perhaps this can be incorporated into group tutorials or activities, giving students the chance to directly learn from each other and the present to the rest of the group what they have learned? You also mention that as tutors we can be more proactive about being better informed and I think I could do better with this in my own teaching. One of the things I love about my role as a personal tutor is hearing about the wide range of ideas and subjects that students bring to their work, and moving forwards I think I could do more to research about subjects I am less culturally familiar with. With greater insight into context, this aims to place me in a better position to offer support, guidance and helpful references to help students progress.
Thanks for this summary Becky – you’ve pulled together a lot of resources in a short text which synthesise some of the challenges that black, asian, minority ethnic staff and students face within UAL. When institutions like ours have such a clear representation and diversity issue across both staffing and student culture, it makes sense to me that we will continue to see students seek mentorship or research support from groups outside of UAL, as Sabri’s research asserts.
On the question of effective feedback, I wonder what it feels like as a student to have a tutor admit that they don’t understand their approach, conceptual framework, or perspective on a particular topic. Of course, we cannot expect all tutors to understand intimiately the lived experiences or cultural contexts and ancestry of all students. Especially so in an increasingly international context. But what happens when a tutors lack of context impacts a students ability to move forward critically with their work? In what ways does this cultural divide further impact their sense of agency and belonging at UAL? And gow can we set up strategies that might allow students and tutors to bridge this feedback gap?
There’s lots to chew on here. My feeling is that both students and staff would benefit from a clear, shared understanding around how to approach inevitable cultural divides that might come up through a feedback scenario. You’ve mentioned that its important for us to remain curious and understanding: I’d add transparency and empathy to this list as well.