Embedded Files
The following themes emerged from the interviews with students:
Alienating University Environment
Alienating University Environment
This is further divided into alienating academic environment and alienating social environment. These sub-themes capture the ways in which BAME students feel isolated within the wider University context.
Alienating Academic Environment
Alienating Academic Environment
This relates to lecture content, academic staff and seminar discussions.
Alienating Social Environment
Alienating Social Environment
This relates to feelings of exclusion due to the lack of similarities between students and the wider University environment.
Misunderstood
‘You also notice that when there's no BAME academics. It's a lot harder...because your academic has lived an experience that so far removed from your own, they can't understand you, and they can’t advise you adequately, and then you feel as if you kind of wasted your time in that academic session.’
-BAME Participant
Overt Racism
Excluded
‘While I understand that it's important to learn the figureheads, especially with early modern history in the U.K., They’re going to be white, and that isn't lost on me. And not because this time you don't have access to resources or a very well-funded university with very intelligent lectures and students, but because it's not considered important enough… For my non-white friends, I think it's an even harsher blow to get to this level in your education and still not have your history taken seriously enough.’
-Non-BAME Participant
Racial Profiling
Tokenism
‘Why do I have to teach you everything? Just because I’m the– cause I am, I'm the only black student in that place.’
-BAME Participant
Anticipated Prejudice
Wokeness
“It is difficult, because obviously I've only had white tutors. So when they are teaching
these materials it's sometimes a bit uncomfortable.”
-BAME Participant
Self-Seclusion
Reluctance
“I think a lot of the fear that BAME students sort of have is the fear of not being understood and the fear of being racialised as like a raging sort of anti-racist. So we'd rather just be passive and like not talk up, not speak up about you know, those issues when they come up on our courses.”
-BAME Participant
Lack of Cultural/ Religious Awareness
Resistance
“Yeah no, sometimes I don't say anything. I'm like, you guys, you guys can have a discussion about evolving.”- BAME Participant
False Progression
Restrictive Teaching Practices
Restrictive Teaching Practices
This refers to the lack of similarity between what is being taught within the curriculum and the extent to which this is representative of the diverse student population.
Knowledge Gained
"So what the countries were like during British colonialism, the impact of British colonialism today, you know, these things are very much missed in that part of the curriculum, and it's focused on what the British, you know, went in and did, and then brought back here." - BAME participant
Extra Work
Cultural Sensitivity
"So one module in my archaeology subject has been about human bones, and there's they've used old research papers that use negative connotations with black people and ethnic minorities which I found quite shocking, and they still use that. They didn't like kind of point out or explain why." - Non-BAME participant
Resignation
Resignation
This theme refers to BAME and Non-BAME students’ negative acceptance and/or displeasure of systems reinforcing harmful racial barriers or restrictions on one’s education due to lack of diversity.
Apathy
Interviewer: "So then, if we talk about like you apply for certain opportunities. Have you ever felt less motivated to apply because you feel like you'd be seeing a less favourable light compared to your non-BAME peers?"
Participant: "yeah. But like isn't that the POC (person of colour) experience?’" - BAME participant
Frustration
Self-Perception
Self-Perception
The final theme relates to how BAME students perceive themselves within the University context.
Assimilation
So there is less of a connection to being Indian even the language, that I used...That's just been like that's just like local. like dialect. So that was something I like stopped using it as much’
- BAME participant’
Identity Struggles
Self-Doubt
‘Did I get this because I'm qualified, and I am actually qualified, or did I only get this because I'm an ethnic minority?’
- BAME participant
'Get-Out' Syndrome
Department of Psychology | University of York
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