The university went to ‘decolonise’ and all they brought back was lousy diversity double-speak! Critical race counter-stories from faculty of colour in ‘decolonial’ times

Doharty, Nadena; Madriaga, Manuel; Joseph-Salisbury, Remi

Abstract

UK Higher Education is characterised by structural and institutional forms of whiteness. As scholars and activists are increasingly speaking out to testify, whiteness has wide-ranging implications that affect curricula, pedagogy, knowledge production, university policies, campus climate, and the experiences of students and faculty of colour. Unsurprisingly then, calls to decolonize the university abound. In this article, we draw upon the Critical Race Theory method of counter-storytelling. By introducing composite characters, we speak back to assumptions that universities are race-neutral, meritocratic institutions. We illustrate some of the key themes that shape the experiences of faculty of colour in UK Higher Education: institutional racism, racial microaggressions, racial battle fatigue, and steadfast fugitive resistance. We argue that, despite the paradox of working under (what purports to be) a ‘decolonial’ agenda, widespread calls to decolonize our universities have further embedded rather than dismantled whiteness, thus continuing to characterise the careers, wellbeing, and daily lives of faculty of colour.

Citation

Doharty, N., Madriaga, M., & Joseph-Salisbury, R. (2021). The university went to ‘decolonise’ and all they brought back was lousy diversity double-speak! Critical race counter-stories from faculty of colour in ‘decolonial’ times. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 53(3), 233-244. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2020.1769601

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 3, 2020
• Online Publication Date: May 25, 2020
• Publication Date: 2021
• Deposit Date: Apr 20, 2023
• Journal: Educational Philosophy and Theory
• Print ISSN: 0013-1857
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-5812
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 53
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 233-244
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2020.1769601
• Keywords: History and Philosophy of Science; Education
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/17088060
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00131857.2020.1769601