Book contents
- Frontmatter
- 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
- Part II Being Black is not an optional luxury! Struggles for rights and recognition in the White academic space
- Part III For us, by us: finding one another amid the storm
- Part IV Academic support: the right thing, in the right place, at the right time
- Part V Reflections at the completion of the PhD journey
- Conclusion and recommendations
- Our ancestors’ wildest dreams … (fictionalisation)
- Afterword: For our community
- Index
Reflections on Part III and prompts for action
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 January 2025
- Frontmatter
- 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
- Part II Being Black is not an optional luxury! Struggles for rights and recognition in the White academic space
- Part III For us, by us: finding one another amid the storm
- Part IV Academic support: the right thing, in the right place, at the right time
- Part V Reflections at the completion of the PhD journey
- Conclusion and recommendations
- Our ancestors’ wildest dreams … (fictionalisation)
- Afterword: For our community
- Index
Summary
The journey of a doctoral degree is no mean feat. Those inclined to embark on this journey do so at the risk of discrimination amid isolation and loneliness. As you have read in the essays in this part, the void created by higher education institutions is filled by Black- led academic support groups and networks. They do this in addition to undertaking the highest academic challenge of their careers, with minimal support from the institutions themselves. If this work was to be appropriately supported and integrated into institutional practice, what would that mean for Black and other marginalised academics?
Each of the essay writers had to find their own support networks, or go out and entirely create what did not already exist; the energy exerted in this effort should not be overlooked. It is long and hard labour to develop and maintain a safe space for Black academics across different disciplines and journeys – if this effort was liberated, where else could Black academics be sharing their excellence?
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Black PhD ExperienceStories of Strength, Courage and Wisdom in UK Academia, pp. 109 - 110Publisher: Bristol University PressPrint publication year: 2024