Critical reflections on the racialised hierarchies of an ethnically diverse staff-student scholarship project team

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi26.941

Keywords:

Staff-student collaboration, student-led research, empowerment, exploitation, Black students, racialised hierarchies

Abstract

This case study article reports on the reflections of the authors who were part of a staff-student collaborative scholarship project investigating the learning experiences of Black distance-learning students. Although there is a growing body of research on the nature, experiences, power dynamics and benefits of staff-student collaborations in higher education contexts, there is much less discussion about how wider racialised hierarchies can influence such collaborations. The project discussed in this article consisted of an ethnically diverse team – including the authors of this piece who are a white male academic staff member and a female PhD student from a Black ethnic background. This case study offers a critically reflective account of the racialised hierarchy inherently present within our relationship. We briefly consider the ways in which the collaborative project was framed by potentially exploitative racialised hierarchies including the privileging of white staff members, before considering how we tried to mitigate these hierarchies by finding ways to involve and empower the ethnic minority student members of the team. These reflections might help those who are embarking upon ethnically diverse staff-student collaborations in higher education to ensure that ethnic minority students feel empowered and to help facilitate their role in promoting institutional change and disrupting exclusionary practice.

Author Biographies

Shannon Martin, The Open University

Shannon Martin is a PhD student at The Open University. Her PhD utilises qualitative methods to look at how decolonisation is conceptualised as a key approach to address issues of racism and racial inequality in higher education, specifically focusing on The Open University. She has also undertaken research on a number of projects related to investigating the experiences of traditionally marginalised groups in higher education. She is particularly interested in issues relating to social inequalities in education.

Jim Lusted, The Open University

Jim Lusted is a Lecturer in Sport & Fitness at The Open University and has undertaken several staff-student scholarship projects related to teaching and learning, particularly focused around the learning experiences of ethnic minority students. His academic research profile includes publications on issues related to social inequalities in sport settings.

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Published

28-02-2023

How to Cite

Martin, S. and Lusted, J. (2023) “Critical reflections on the racialised hierarchies of an ethnically diverse staff-student scholarship project team”, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (26). doi: 10.47408/jldhe.vi26.941.