Race
When considering the topic of anti-racism within university settings, there is a clear need for critique of structural issues, alongside individual anti-racist action.
During Summer term I teach on the Creative Unions unit at CSM, where there is a persistent Awarding Gap between Home White and Home BAME students.
There is a shift in 2022/23 where overall attainment increases, and the awarding gap decreases slightly. This was implemented by the following actions:
While these shifts have been positive, there is still room to close the gap. Structuring anti-racist thinking into unit development is important, but to do this, staff involved need to acknowledge their own biases in order to disrupt an unequal system. This is reflected in Robin DiAngelo’s assertion that white progressives cause the most damage to racialised people because they are more likely to be present in diverse spaces, but their identities are rooted in the idea that they are free of racism, meaning that they never put energy into being anti-racist. (DiAngelo, 2018)
Critical Race Theory offers methods to expose how racism can manifest in a day to day settings. ‘Common methods within the framework include story telling or counter-narratives to express these everyday lived experiences as knowledge (Garret, 2024). Fixed positions cannot be countered by a rigid didactic teaching model, and so anti-racist teaching must incorporate dialogue. Asif Sadiq offers a potential solution when he argues for including multiple perspectives in diversity training. ‘Diversity has never been about us all agreeing, if we all agreed on the same things, that wouldn’t be diverse.’ (Sadiq, 2023). Setting up these learning experiences is challenging, and researcher Kevin Brazant shares that when lecturers try to create dialogue with students, they need to be aware of who is in the room to avoid further alienation. To do this, it is crucial to get students to talk about what they already know, opening dialogue (Brazant, 2023). This is a way to create a bridge of communication, where the multitude of experiences can be understood, fostering a more inclusive environment.
Within my own teaching practice, I keen to facilitate dialogue. Sadiq raises the idea of how we can create a psychologically safe space where people are not afraid to say the wrong thing. He explains the importance of being able to ask questions, rather than make assumptions, as well as hear multiple perspective and experiences, rather than bracketing communities into larger subcategories. (Sadiq, 2023)
Sadiq’s suggestions, for me, are a positive alternative to James Orr’s assertion that DEI is in direct opposition to freedom of speech. Orr’s journalistic style video sets out to back up his own opinion. Within it, he platforms racialised academics whose viewpoints back up his point. He performs diversity, without including diverse viewpoints, actively shutting down dialogue. The video does not consider how to achieve a diverse space that fosters contested opinion, but instead disregards the voices of protest and critique, silencing calls to decolonise the curriculum and address the racism present within Cambridge University.
Bibliography
Amanpour & Co. (2020) Excerpt from Robin DiAngelo’s 2018 interview with Michel Martin about White Fragility [Online]. Youtube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx-gUfQx4-Q [accessed June 2024]
Brazant, J.K, (2023b) ‘Disrupt the Discourse: An eLearning course and digital toolkit to aid the development of an anti- racist pedagogy.’ As part of the ‘Disrupting the Discourse: The Culture
Decoded series.’ http://decolonialsubversions.org/main_issue_2023.html
Garrett, R. (2024). Racism shapes careers: career trajectories and imagined futures of racialised minority PhDs in UK higher education. Globalisation, Societies and Education, p5
Orr, J. (2022) Revealed: The charity turning UK universities woke. The Telegraph [Online]. Youtube. 5 August. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRM6vOPTjuU (accessed June 2024)
Sadiq, A. (2023) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Learning how to get it right. TEDx [Online}. Youtube. 2 March. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR4wz1b54hw (accessed June 2024)
Hi Anna
I found this post to be a really useful read, weaving together multiple the perspectives from the reading. I need to read the Brazant! It sounds like that will be helpful for thinking about the practical ways we encounter these questions within the classroom/studio settings
You hit the nail on the head with what you said about James Orr’s piece – what terrible journalism.
I agree with what you said about the importance of dialogue vs rigid didactic teaching, to get the students to talk about ‘what they already know’.
It sounds like you are very committed to ‘psychologically safe spaces’ within your context. It would be great to understand more about the group structure in Fine Arts setting – Are you mostly 1-2-1 tutorial based? With Creative Unions, how do you facilitate with larger groups? I’m keen to bring more spaces for discussion and dialogue into my teaching going forward, but the 1-2-1 tutorials can feel quite limited
Hey Nina,
Thanks for your message. To answer your question, in Fine Art I am mostly 1-2-1 and like to approach these tutorials as an open discussion. I am always keen to listen to the student as much as possible and reflect back to them what they have said, hopefully defining some terms along the way, which can then open up new areas of conversation. I think allowing the student to lead is really helpful in making them feel safe, as hopefully they feel listened to. In Creative Unions, I tend to facilitate discussion by asking a question of the whole group and get them to discuss this in pairs or small groups, letting them know I will ask them to feedback after. Sometimes I ask each table to discuss a different topic. The feedback at the end tends to open up students to be more discursive which I like. Another technique is to open the session with a check in, where I go around each student to answer the same question, such as ‘what was a highlight of your weekend’, or ‘what is working well for your group on this project.’ That way, each student speaks in the session, and they can also hear commonalities or advice from each other.
Hi Anna,
A really good read. Firstly, just to say as you open with it – it’s encouraging to see the proactive steps taken to address the awarding gap between Home White and Home BAME students at CSM; long may it continue to close those gaps.
Your point about integrating anti-racist thinking into unit development and acknowledging biases amongst staff is really key. I totally agree that this self-awareness is crucial for disrupting systemic inequalities. DiAngelo’s insights about white progressives were particularly eye-opening, highlighting the need for ongoing personal and institutional reflection and action.
The emphasis on Critical Race Theory and storytelling as tools to expose everyday racism is a practice that sounds particularly valuable. Encouraging dialogue, as suggested by Sadiq, and creating psychologically safe spaces for these conversations is essential. It’s through hearing multiple perspectives and fostering open communication that we can truly understand and address these issues. Something we do within Fine Art practice with the students through their practices all the time without realising maybe.
With that in mind, Kevin Brazant’s advice on being mindful of who else is in the room during these discussions is also something to keep in mind. It’s incredibly important that we create inclusive environments where everyone feels heard and valued.
I think I understand your perspective and disagreement with Orr’s assertion that DEI opposes freedom of speech. While I don’t wholly disagree with you that his approach is clearly flawed as you outline, I had maybe picked up on something different- him claiming that some DEI initiatives can be seen to promote a specific agenda while suppressing some differing viewpoints. Perhaps this view is born (and maybe tainted) from my personal experience of not seeing the subject of anti-Semitism reflected anywhere on the curriculum despite the growing figures within universities, and persistant conversations around the protests, thus not feeling my experience is in alignment or validated in this DEI context – that Orr’s suggestion that DEI efforts often perform diversity more superficially by showcasing selected voices that align with their narrative, rather than encouraging genuine dialogue and the expression of a wide range of perspectives, has rung somewhat true to my experience. According to him, this can sometimes silence certain diverse viewpoints rather than fostering an open dialogue.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and the practical steps noted to improve inclusivity. It is hopeful.
Best,
Becki x