The race to the top: the experiences and strategies of women of colour in UK academia

Research has outlined the potential benefits of diversity at multiple levels of higher education. At the organisational level, the underrepresentation of BAME women in senior positions in academia, particularly in professorship positions remains of high interest for academics, practitioners, and policymakers. To have better understanding of this wicked problem, this study critically explores the extent to which neo-liberalism as a doxa has impacted the career progression of academic women of colour. It investigates the extent to which racialised experience and White privilege, and early life experience impact women of colour’s career progression, and investigates the strategies deployed by those women to succeed in UK universities despite these multi-layered challenges. The study contributes to the literature and theory in three major areas. This study applies Bourdieu’s practice theory (field, habitus, capital and doxa), Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) and Critical Race Theory (CRT) to investigate the ‘Race' of Women of colour to the top of the ivory tower. Using first Bourdieu thinking tools lens with a focus on field and doxa allowed the interaction between women of colour interviewed and their context to be recognised. This nexus of levels in this research was essential as it permitted the analysis of the macro context by examining the micro and equally the illumination of how macro level issues shape experiences at the micro level. Second, this study also challenges critical race theory by recognising that it doesn’t fully acknowledge or represent class aspects and the agency of the participants. This is illustrated in my need to draw on Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and capital to demonstrate the role of socio-economic class in shaping the career decision and progression of our participants. Lastly, to move beyond countering deficit views of women of colour in the UK academy; I proposed using CCW framework to help direct discussions of our participants away from their defect experiences toward their adequacies. Grounded in critical paradigm and Black feminist epistemology, and building upon Critical Diversity Studies, the 24 participants interviewed in this study share their experiential knowledge of journeying through the UK academia system by reflecting on their experience in getting professorship positions. Results exhibit the influence of neoliberalism as a doxa, class and race on their career journey in academia — from early life until securing academic positions. This research highlights some of the unique challenges confronted by this group including the extent to which the changing environment of higher education institutions and the ethos of neoliberalism as a doxa has disturbed their progression and development, the extent to which racism was endemic and remained rooted and positioned at different levels, and the role of early life and social class impacting upon participants’ decision to enter academia and thrive or struggle in their academic roles. Yet, due to strong commitment to reaching academic ‘success’ in their career journey, Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) strategies are utilised to overcome such challenges. Finally, limited understandings of academic career success and university leadership based on meritocratic and neoliberal underpinnings are questioned. I argue that current knowledge fails to recognise inherent inequalities within the university system that make it problematic for women academics of colour to achieve professorship positions. Thus, we explore prospects to (re)envisage academic career and university leadership including professorship positions beyond the dominant discourse of neoliberal meritocracy.

Citation

Omhand, K. (2023) The race to the top: the experiences and strategies of women of colour in UK academia. University of Wolverhampton. http://hdl.handle.net/2436/625432

Publisher

University of Wolverhampton

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/2436/625432

Type

Thesis or dissertation

Language

en

Description

A thesis submitted to the University of Wolverhampton in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Rights

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

cbn

Collections

Theses and Dissertations