The Black PhD Experience

Stories of Strength, Courage and Wisdom in UK Academia

William Ackah, Jacqueline Darkwa, Wayne Mitchell, De-Shaine Murray, Madina Wane, William Ackah, Jacqueline Darkwa, Wayne Mitchell, De-Shaine Murray, Madina Wane, Wayne A. Mitchell

• Publisher: Policy Press
• Year: 2024
• eBook ISBN: 9781447369998
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Inclusive Education
• Index: Social Sciences

This unique book charts the journeys of Black doctoral students through UK higher education.

Using powerful firsthand accounts, the book details the experiences of Black PhD students. From application through to graduation and beyond, the book offers key insights into the workings of higher education, highlighting the structural barriers that impede progress. Challenges and recommendations are issued for the sector and wider community. This text is a witness to the tenacity and brilliance of Black students to achieve against the odds.

A game changer for the sector. Essential reading for anyone interested in equity and inclusion in higher education.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acronyms and glossary of terms
• Notes on contributors
• Acknowledgements
• Foreword
• Introduction: Black PhD journeys in context
• Part I The ‘weighted’ waiting game: being Black and applying to do a PhD
• 1 Underrepresented and undervalued: my reflections on school, university and the doctoral application process
• 2 Climbing the rough side of the mountain: getting into a PhD programme
• 3 What I wish I knew: deciding on when to pursue the PhD
• 4 The long and winding road: tackling barriers and prejudice on the journey to PhD study
• 5 Ignorance is not bliss: what every potential Black PhD science student needs to know
• 6 Being one of the few among the many: my journey to the PhD starting point
• 7 Making the garments fit: transitions to a better place
• Reflections on Part I and prompts for action
• Part II Being Black is not an optional luxury! Struggles for rights and recognition in the White academic space
• 8 Studying while Black: reflections on researching Blackness in White space
• 9 Through, around or over the gate? Navigating academia from a Black Muslim woman’s perspective
• 10 Fighting the power: challenging institutional discrimination – a personal perspective
• 11 The missing ones
• Reflections on Part II and prompts for action
• Part III For us, by us: finding one another amid the storm
• 12 That ain’t it, so we’ll create it: supporting Black students when and where our institutions fail
• 13 Finding the Black immunologists in a pandemic
• 14 In the meantime: creating change through community
• 15 Networks, networking and finding my place in the academic space
• 16 #BlackInTheIvory: social media as a tool for racial healing
• 17 Unravelling the tapestry of unspoken rules: living with being different in the academic space
• 18 Making space for Black voices and Black visions: the formation and work of the African Diaspora Postgraduate Network
• Reflections on Part III and prompts for action
• Part IV Academic support: the right thing, in the right place, at the right time
• 19 Reaching beyond the horizon: being inspired to succeed against the odds
• 20 In and out of prison: my personal research journey of being a Black woman, researching Black women
• 21 Not in this alone: being supported to break down barriers to PhD success
• 22 When seasons change: dealing with a change in my situation while studying for a PhD
• 23 Believing that the impossible is possible: my story of being supported to succeed
• Reflections on Part IV and prompts for action
• Part V Reflections at the completion of the PhD journey
• 24 What it means to be the first: my journey from Windrush to PhD
• 25 Why the ‘P’ in PhD stands for (Black) Power
• 26 (Un)making the imposter syndrome
• 27 I came all this way for this?! An international student’s experience of UK higher education
• Reflections on Part V and prompts for action
• Conclusion and recommendations
• Our ancestors’ wildest dreams … (fictionalisation)
• Afterword: For our community
• Index