Should ethnicity matter when teaching about ‘race’ and racism in the classroom?

Abstract

Teaching about ‘race’ and racism to a diverse student group can lead to some very interesting exchanges. Some of these moments are much to do with the subject content. Learning about racism often pulls on our emotional strings: black students sometimes express their hurt and anger, while white students sometimes remain silent or express their hurt, shame and discomfort. The lecturer’s racialised identity is an important factor in these emotional exchanges. Black lecturers are sometimes judged for their ‘loyalties and sensibilities’ with the black community, while white lecturers are questioned for their understanding and sympathies with ‘race’/racism issues. This paper considers how social identities and physical appearances impact on the teaching and learning process and issues of student and lecturer positionalities and identities in the Higher Education context. In particular, it examines how much being white or black can matter in teaching and learning about race and racism, and the importance of critical pedagogy. Theoretical reflections on identity construction and management are themed through these discussions. The conclusion argues that the teaching of ‘race’ and racism is not only about identity or ethnicity, but the development of teaching strategies that are inclusive of black experiences; and questions power structures and relations found in whitearchy and patriarchy.

Keywords:

• Critical Race Theory
• student centred learning
• black experience
• racialised identities
• counter‐narrative

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the C‐SAP (Centre for Sociology, Anthropology and Politics within the Higher Education Academy) and to Manchester Metropolitan University, and London Metropolitan University, for funding this project. Thanks as well to my co‐researchers for permission to publish this paper. Big thanks to Paul Grant, whose critical political mind and meticulous editing eye has helped to sharpen my analysis.

Notes

1. The research used more than one consideration in assigning ethnic categorisation to lecturers and students, as outlined below:

1. ‘South Asian’ is used to refer to those who define their ethnic origin as the South Asian subcontinent, which includes Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

2. ‘White’ refers to folks of European descent. Whiteness, like any other racialised category, is not about physical attributes or skin colour, but refers to the debate that acknowledges the social, political and historical contexts of colonialism and European dominance.

3. ‘African‐Caribbean’ is used to refer to those who define their origin as the African continent.

4. ‘Black’ is used to refer to those people of South Asian and African/Caribbean decent. The term ‘black’ is a political reference to the recognition of a common history of colonialism and contemporary racism that is experienced in the diasporas. It is accepted that the term ‘black’ is not used to negate difference or to imply homogeneity; indeed, it is a term that is often contested.