Black, Indigenous and Academics of Colour experiences in the Australian University

Black, Indigenous and Academics of Colour experiences in the Australian University

In this study, we ask the general question, “How do Black, Indigenous and academics of colour experience the Australian university?” More specifically, we ask, “How do academics of colour in Australia tell their career stories and what can these stories tell us about creating more inclusive anti-racist academic spaces? This study proposes to add to our understanding of the experience of academics of colour in Australia in order to gain insight into how tertiary education can repair some of the damage of its colonising past and truly make room for not only a more diverse faculty but also a greater diversity of views.

Research Design

Twenty-two Australian academics of colour were interviewed zoom for a duration of 45-60 minutes about their experience of working in academia. Grounded in narrative methodology, meant that the purpose of the analysis is to understand each of their stories and if relevant, how their stories may contribute to a collective narrative. Each interview was guided by a series of semi-structures questions allowing for flexibility so the researchers could follow the participants’ stories down individually relevant paths.

Why is the research important?

Across the globe, minoritised students and staff have raised concerns about the Ethnocentricity and “whiteness” imbedded within the curriculum, arguing that it lacks intersectionality and the diversified knowledges that reflect non-white ways of being, doing and knowing. Education policy and curricula in its current form has been critiqued as an “act of white supremacy”, but despite increasing efforts towards diversification, recent research demonstrates the continued marginalisation of minoritized staff and curricula. This study proposes to add to our understanding of the experience of academics of colour in Australia specifically through the lens of the peer review process, in order to gain insight into this more fundamental question of how tertiary education can repair some of the damage of its colonising past and truly make room for not only a more diverse faculty but also a greater diversity of views.

Research Team

• A/prof Kathomi Gatwiri
• Dr Zoe Krupka
• Dr Leticia Anderson