ABSTRACT
Much of Black student life, understandably, is seen through a lens of resistance. Black people, given their societal position, are resistant in context. Yet, one cannot use resistance, by itself, to understand the expansive, dynamic nature of Black student life – even in otherwise constricting contexts. In this paper, I wrestle with the central question of how might we understand Black life beyond resistance? This is not to suggest that racism somehow does not exist or has less of a grasp on society. Rather, I argue that to understand Black students’ lives primarily through resistance is limited. As such, in this paper, I elaborate upon three tensions to meditate upon that may provide a reorientation for how stakeholders go about their work and provide pathways for a more expansive analysis of Black students’ experiences.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1. This introduction uses Kevin Quahsie’s (2012) introduction to The Sovereignty of Quiet as a model.
2. The names of participants are pseudonyms to ensure anonymity.