Category: Race and Ethnicity

Decolonising the curriculum has been widely discussed across HE, but what it means in day-to-day teaching is less clear. The idea, examining how colonialism, domination, imperialism, and racism have shaped academic knowledge and excluded non-Western voices in higher education, is well-established in theory (Mignolo, 2017; Stockdale and Sweeney, 2022). Yet I’ve wondered how well our everyday teaching materials reflect these ideas in practice, and how we might translate theory into everyday pedagogical work.

South Asian Heritage Month was launched at Manchester Museum in 2019. The month runs from the 18th of July to the 17th of August each year where it seeks to commemorate, mark and celebrate South Asian cultures, histories, and communities. Focussed events showcase the rich and proud South Asian heritage that has blended into the British way of life, contributing to the diversity of our nation. Observing South Asian Heritage Month provides us with excellent opportunities to embrace and celebrate the history and identity of British South Asians. 

Of 23,000 UK professors, only 61 are Black women and only recently has this stark statistic gained widespread attention. For Black women, the messy and protracted path to promotion, along with discrimination and misogynoir have been many of our experiences. The 100 Black Women Professors NOW programme (100 BWPN) delivered by the Women in Higher Education Network (WHEN) recognises the need to address fundamental inequities and support Black women as we navigate career progression.