The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Strategies of success for black and minority ethnic academics: intersectionalities of difference

Strategies of success for black and minority ethnic academics: intersectionalities of difference
Strategies of success for black and minority ethnic academics: intersectionalities of difference
This paper will explore issues of intersectionality and ‘race’ with a focus on theorising difference, specifically in relation to the success of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) academics. There is little research which has explored issues of intersectionality and the career success of BME academics. The research that does exist has examined issues of class and gender (Skeggs, 1997; Reay, et al, 2001), ‘race’ and gender (Bhopal, 2008; Gillborn and Mirza, 2000; Mirza, 2009; Shain, 2003) but has failed to engage with debates around the intersection of difference particularly in relation to ‘race’ and other dimensions of difference. Discourses around ‘race’, diversity and inclusion have tended to be analysed as disparate issues. ‘Race’ has been compartmentalised (in racial, ethnic or area studies), or has been emphasised as the defining characteristic of identity (in studies of national identity or in some versions of critical race theory) (see Gillborn, 2009; Leonardo, 2004) rather than as one aspect of a complex web of intersections, oppressions and identity formations (Bhopal and Preston forthcoming, 2010; Preston, 2007). In this paper, I will make connections between these disparate issues in order to understand the wider context of the problematisation of ‘race’ and inclusion where ‘race’ is seen as one aspect of personhood (Ladson-Billings, 2006), specifically in relation to how BME academics manage their success. These debates will be analysed by exploring these aspects of difference by bringing together particular aspects inequality within education. The paper will draw upon empirical research with a total of twenty seven academics from BME backgrounds. It is based on seventeen telephone interviews and ten face to face interviews. The respondents were all academics working in a variety of UK universities. The paper will examine how intersectionalites, specifically ‘race’, gender and class have a significant impact on their experiences. The main findings reveal that the majority of respondents felt that their ‘race’, gender and class had a significant impact on their career trajectories and some even said that they were held back because of this (specifically their ‘race’). The paper argues that policy making within higher education must take into consideration the inclusion of BME groups to provide particular understandings of these issues and for the career progression of these groups. The focus should be to work with policy makers towards an intersectional understanding of not only the subjects of policy but of policy itself, examining the ways in which ambiguities and certainties about ‘race’ have parcelled it off from other areas of social theory. Ambiguities about race (its ‘socially constructed’) nature have led some academics and policy makers to construe ‘race’ as an epiphenomena of class whereas for others its centrality has led to a privileging of ‘race’ above other categories (see also Ball, 2008). As an alternative, this paper will explore what it would mean to have ‘intersectional’ policymaking and its relationship to the career trajectories of BME academics
Bhopal, Kalwant
5ac0970e-1c42-4757-87df-6fdb6f826314
Bhopal, Kalwant
5ac0970e-1c42-4757-87df-6fdb6f826314

Bhopal, Kalwant (2011) Strategies of success for black and minority ethnic academics: intersectionalities of difference. British Sociological Association Annual Conference, London, United Kingdom. 05 - 07 Apr 2011.

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

This paper will explore issues of intersectionality and ‘race’ with a focus on theorising difference, specifically in relation to the success of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) academics. There is little research which has explored issues of intersectionality and the career success of BME academics. The research that does exist has examined issues of class and gender (Skeggs, 1997; Reay, et al, 2001), ‘race’ and gender (Bhopal, 2008; Gillborn and Mirza, 2000; Mirza, 2009; Shain, 2003) but has failed to engage with debates around the intersection of difference particularly in relation to ‘race’ and other dimensions of difference. Discourses around ‘race’, diversity and inclusion have tended to be analysed as disparate issues. ‘Race’ has been compartmentalised (in racial, ethnic or area studies), or has been emphasised as the defining characteristic of identity (in studies of national identity or in some versions of critical race theory) (see Gillborn, 2009; Leonardo, 2004) rather than as one aspect of a complex web of intersections, oppressions and identity formations (Bhopal and Preston forthcoming, 2010; Preston, 2007). In this paper, I will make connections between these disparate issues in order to understand the wider context of the problematisation of ‘race’ and inclusion where ‘race’ is seen as one aspect of personhood (Ladson-Billings, 2006), specifically in relation to how BME academics manage their success. These debates will be analysed by exploring these aspects of difference by bringing together particular aspects inequality within education. The paper will draw upon empirical research with a total of twenty seven academics from BME backgrounds. It is based on seventeen telephone interviews and ten face to face interviews. The respondents were all academics working in a variety of UK universities. The paper will examine how intersectionalites, specifically ‘race’, gender and class have a significant impact on their experiences. The main findings reveal that the majority of respondents felt that their ‘race’, gender and class had a significant impact on their career trajectories and some even said that they were held back because of this (specifically their ‘race’). The paper argues that policy making within higher education must take into consideration the inclusion of BME groups to provide particular understandings of these issues and for the career progression of these groups. The focus should be to work with policy makers towards an intersectional understanding of not only the subjects of policy but of policy itself, examining the ways in which ambiguities and certainties about ‘race’ have parcelled it off from other areas of social theory. Ambiguities about race (its ‘socially constructed’) nature have led some academics and policy makers to construe ‘race’ as an epiphenomena of class whereas for others its centrality has led to a privileging of ‘race’ above other categories (see also Ball, 2008). As an alternative, this paper will explore what it would mean to have ‘intersectional’ policymaking and its relationship to the career trajectories of BME academics

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: April 2011
Venue - Dates: British Sociological Association Annual Conference, London, United Kingdom, 2011-04-05 - 2011-04-07

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 188335
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/188335
PURE UUID: a74f28de-8907-4634-9b36-075c53256308

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 25 May 2011 09:22
Last modified: 10 Dec 2021 19:19

Export record

Contributors

Author: Kalwant Bhopal

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×