The solidarity bind: narratives on fractures in solidarity and internalised racism in HE

Abstract

Research into racism within higher education (HE) has reported how faculty and students of colour linger on the periphery of academia due to exclusionary white supremacist ideologies and practices. However, less attention has been paid to how such ideologies and practices are internalised by faculty and students of colour, resulting in resentment and mutually unrealistic expectations. This paper reports on the findings of a small qualitative study conducted within pre- and post-92 British universities, uncovering the experiences of internalised racism of minoritised academics and students at the intersections of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, immigration trajectories and other social markers. Drawing on Critical Race Theory, my findings reveal the participants’ critical awareness of how their experiences of internalised racism link to sustaining white supremacy in HE. This paper investigates participant views on the fractures in solidarity and the risk of these concerns being manipulated by white institutions to fit dominant narratives. I present the concept of “solidarity bind”, wherein racialised academics and students are expected to foster solidarity with other marginalised academics whilst simultaneously being the target of internalised racism which they are expected to suppress for fear of being labelled “disloyal”. The paper concludes by discussing how challenging it can be to disrupt structures in HE, as racialised academics and students wrestle with solidarity bind and struggle to situate this within the broader movement of coalition building.