Category: Blog tasks

A critical race theory framework for education policy analysis: the case of bilingual learners and assessment policy in England
– Alice Bradbury

This paper explores how Critical Race Theory and policy sociology can be used to analyse policy, with the aim to interrogate how policies that are seemingly there to bring about change for the better can have hidden intentions – “how policy is a tool for the continuation of white dominance, not a neutral bystander.” (Bradbury, 2019, p.244).

CRT is used to question the motivations of policy and to consider race when creating policy: “the aim in building a framework is to re-centre the issue of ‘race’ in studies of policy, at a time when it is too frequently an ‘absent presence’ (Apple 1999)” (Bradbury, p.242)

There were two authors in particular that I’d like to follow up on more in my own research:

“Scholarship on new teacher training routes has also used a CRT framework to consider the policy as an expression of white power and a tool for the continuation of white dominance (Chadderton 2014).” (p.245)

“Leonardo’s work on policy as ‘acts of whiteness’ (Leonardo, 2007” (p.245)

There are some interesting points here about how how intentional the inequality created by policy is: “In education, policy is always political” (Bradbury, p.256). “As Gillborn argues ‘although race inequity may not be a planned and deliberate goal of education policy neither is it accidental’ (2005, 485); there are many who gain from the continued inequalities that exist within the education system” (Bradbury, p.256).

In this example, the paper looks at how children’s educational trajectories are affected by labelling EAL students as ‘low-achieving’, and “explore how assessment operates as a self-reinforcing mechanism for maintaining disparities in attainment at age five” (Bradbury, p.244)

Policy is often biased, towards those creating policy, often systematically disadvantage minority groups and only bringing about progress where it is in the interest of white elites. So we should analyse who is creating the policy, and what their agenda might be. Also to consider diversifying the group who creates policy. This relates back the readings from Blog Task 1, and the example of Chay Brown, who spoke about the importance of those with lived experiences of disabilities in charge of making decisions and this will result in more empathetic decisions and understanding of needs. This should also apply to policy decisions, to ensure that policy will positively affect those who it is designed to help.

Key aspects of CRT

The article explains how rather than focussing “on the ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ of policy (Gale, 1999)”, a CRT perspective, uses three questions as prompts:

• Who drives policy and how does it prioritise?
• Who benefits from the policy?
• What are the effects? 
  (Gillborn, 2005, 492) (P.246)

The author goes on to to say, if racism is endemic then questions can be reframed as:

• ‘How do white people gain?’
• ‘How does this damage or disadvantage minoritised groups or individuals?’
• ‘How does this disadvantage one group more than another? What is the purpose of this?’
  (Bradbury, 246)

Bradbury breaks policy down into three stages of policy:

Context of Influence
“Where policy develops, where various actors, including politicians and lobbyists, operate”

Context of text production
“the way in which the policy is presented”

Context of Practice
“where is policy is implemented, interpreted or enacted”

This made me thing about my own teaching context. Racial inequality is presumably not be and intended aspect of UAL policy or created with an agenda, but is this inequality (suggested by the attainment gap) created by policy decisions that are unconscious / endemic?

Racism shapes careers: career trajectories and imagined futures of racialised minority PhDs in UK higher education
– Rhianna Garrett

Overview

The paper looks at the experience of racialised minority PhD students in UK HE and the affect of these ‘white spaces’ on their career trajectories and imagined futures.

The paper argues that institutions need to do more than just diversify staff and student populations but need to implement cultural and structural changes that value intersectional identities and academic knowledge. “Inspired by the work of Campbell (2022), who argues cultural elements around assessment must be considered alongside diversifying curriculums to close awarding gaps, this paper aims to push institutions to take a more nuanced approach to intersectional cultural institutional change that goes beyond optical diversity.” (Garrett, p.2)

Quotes of interest

“Whiteness is more than an optical privilege but an ‘ecology of hostile structures and practices that shape what we consider to be daily norms” (Garrett, p.3)

“These are all elements of what is considered to be a professional work environment, which is also a constructed identity that works to code and maintain the illusion of inclusion, but in reality, serves to preserve white, middle-class models of knowledge, expertise and value (Mukherjee 2022)” (Garrett, p.3)

My teaching practice

Lots of useful information here about thoughts I’ve been having around decolonizing my teaching / curriculum. That the creating a more inclusive teaching environment is about more than simply diversifying references (although this is still important). What are the cultural and structural changes could I could make to my teaching? How do I value intersectional identities and academic knowledge from marginalised communities?

“For students, postgraduates and ECRs, these practices shape specific understandings of what is considered to be professional, and this can result in pressure to assimilate to white, Eurocentric patterns of behaviour to avoid reputational damage, that could affect career progression into higher education (Bhambra, Gebrial, and Nişancıoğlu 2018; Bonner-Thompson, Mearns, and Hopkins 2021).” (Garrett, p.3)

I found this quote interesting in relation to typography (or any practice). Do students assimilate their design practice/approach to the dominant pattern of behaviour, in order to fit in? Do marginalised students do this to fit in with the white-Eurocentric space of UK HE? Understanding this and trying to encourage students to react against this, could be one key to a decolonial approach in typography.

Religious Identity and Epistemic Injustice: An Intersectional Account
Jaclyn Rekis

Rekis article talks about how religion intersects with other identities to create unique ways in which people experience epistemic injustice. This is particularly felt for people from minority religions with intersecting identities. 

Secular and naturalistic-worldview contexts, such as academic environments are spaces where this epistemic injustice is felt.

Epistemic injustice ultimately results in voices from these people not being heard, or viewpoints and ideas not given credit or taken seriously. 

“Either the speaker or the hearer loses out on some piece of knowledge being exchanged, which reflects “a moment of dysfunction in the overall epistemic practice or system” (Rekis, p.781)

“Prejudice therefore operates as an “obstacle to truth” (Rekis, p.781)

This thinking has some really interesting ramifications for my teaching in that we may create an echo-chamber of Western/Cristian viewpoints, fail to be challenged by voices from outside of that community because they are dismissed and not given enough credit, or people from those minorities are not confident to offer opinions and challenge ideologies and methodologies.

This relates to bell hooks writing about art criticism and race and how minorities need to be given the platform and the security to express opinions and speak critically about the work of others, for art criticism and art practice to develop.

Is religion good or bad?
Kwame Anthony Appiah

Kwame Anthony Appiah talks about the differences between major religions and how it’s a focus on the differences that often has caused aggression, violence, wars etc.

Is he talking about the intersection of religion and socio-economic status? Power? Idea of white Christian travellers and colonisers finding beliefs that were different to their own and wanting to convert these people to Christianity.

Appiah also talks about moment in the 19th century where there was the separation of science and religion. “was a kind of deal that was cut between science, this new way of organising intellectual authority, and religion.” (Appiah, 7.34 mins). So that thought no longer had to be framed by the assumptions of religion.

Is this about intersection of religion and science? Religion and power? Or about how the academic institution is in the position of power, the tutors are in a position of power and if the institution has the perspective of secular, naturalistic worldview then there is a danger that viewpoint is positioned as the dominant one in the classroom? Within the societal background of Christianity?

Or is it about us all acknowledging that intellectual thoughts no longer have to align with the assumptions of religion so we should not discriminating against the thinking of people from other belief systems, assuming that they are framing these thoughts by the assumptions of their religious beliefs?

“So there’s a big change, and that division, that intellectual division of labor occurs as I say, I think, and it sort of solidifies so that by the end of the 19th century in Europe, there’s a real intellectual division of labor, and you can do all sorts of serious things, including, increasingly, even philosophy, without being constrained by the thought, “Well, what I have to say has to be consistent with the deep truths that are given to me by our religious tradition.” (Appiah, 9.04 mins).

Appiah gives the example of the Asante people, of modern day Ghana, where “This is not a world in which the separation between religion and science has occurred. Religion has not being separated from any other areas of life”. So is this about being respectful of religious views and being mindful that in some cultures, religion has not separated from science?

Challenging Race, Religion, and Stereotypes in Classroom 
Simran Jeet Singh

Simran Jeet Singh talks about challenging stereotypes. In his context, he talks about the US as a society founded on equality and justice but also founded on discrimination and racism. Giving current examples of race issues manifesting, protests in Charlotte, police killings of young black men. Singh also talks about how we tend to paint entire communities with a single brushstroke, whereas each community is diverse.

“These sorts of things are issues that we like to think don’t exist in our society today but we can’t help but notice that they really do and we need to confront them. Though I think one of the real challenges we’re facing in our society is a tendency to try and paint entire communities with a single brush stroke” (Singh, 0.50 mins)

He looks to challenge basic stereotypes to highlight the difference in communities and states that in his teaching he will “Try and show students that there are multiple ways of looking at everything. Everyone has their own experiences. Everyone’s their own perspectives and if we can try and understand where people are coming from with empathy and sort of a human element then that allows us to really engage with difference in a way that I constructive rather than destructive.” (Singh, 1.54 mins)

In terms of intersectionality this piece relates to ideas around being aware that within religious and racial groups, there are differences. So not to apply stereotyping and think that discrimination will affect each person the same. Kimberlé Crenshaw’s theory of intersectionality tells us that other aspects of a person’s identity will intersect with religion and create unique experiences of discrimation.

Key terms

• Epistemic injustice (Miranda Fricker)
• Testimonial epistemic injustice
• Hermeneutical epistemic injustice
• Worldview
• Social Identity

Bibliography

Trinity University (2016) Challenging Race, Religion, and Stereotypes in the Classroom. [Online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CAOKTo_DOk

Reki, J. (2023) Religious Identity and Epistemic Injustice: An Intersectional Account. Hypatia 38, pp779–800.

Appiah, K. A. (2014) Is religion good or bad? (This is a trick question). Youtube [Online]. 16 June. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2et2KO8gcY

Intersectionality

The three video interviews present examples of how intersectionality affects individuals in different ways: 

Paralympian Ade Adepitan talks about his intersecting identity of race and disability and how events such as the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement created a “crossroads for humanity”. This opportunity, with global public awareness of race and discrimination at a high point to bring about change in how society “gives people opportunities to shine”. He argues that “society is what holds us back” and that accessibility to opportunities, equipment, coaching and platforms then people from marginalised communities will succeed. He also talked about how progress has been made, but this can be token measures that perhaps play lip-service to the idea of equality and access but there is still systemic racism and discrimination around disability that is ingrained in society and easy to disguise in places such as employment opportunities. The interviewer also mentioned how, by making a space on public transport for disabled people, this becomes a form of segregation as disabled people are still treated differently to the rest of society, labelled, put in a special placed.

Christine Sun Kim spoke about her arts practice and her intersectional identity as a deaf mother and how government polices in Germany have enabled her to have an arts practice. Free childcare and affordable living costs mean she has time and space to practice as an artist – the “benefits of a government that supports its citizens”. Something that is much more difficult in the US for example, where her friends and family live. Through her work Christine has raised awareness within the hearing world for the deaf community and she talks about the importance of scale, that “scale equals visibility, that has the ability to shape social norms”. Her aim is for “deaf lives to be in your mind and be part of what we consider acceptable”. 

In the third video, Chay Brown, a trans man with mental health difficulties, spoke about his intersecting identity being somewhat hidden as a cis passing man with disabilities that are not immediately obvious, and he has a lot of privileges. It’s important therefore to consider that disabilities can be hidden or not immediately obvious. His mental health difficulties meant that he found the subtleties of non-verbal communication, particularly with the gay community, difficult to understand, leading to challenging situations that caused more anxiety for him. Some really important things he said were about providing all aspects of accessibility as the norm: accessible venues for wheelchairs, but also accessible toilets, closed captioning, etc. Importantly, he said that people should be asked what their access needs are, creating ‘person-centred’ environments, putting people with lived experiences of disabilities in charge of making decisions will result in more empathetic decisions and understanding of needs, that there should be budgets for accessibility. An important point he made towards the end was about giving people a forum to talk about their needs and that this will empower others to come forward and take about their needs, therefore normalising the situation. 

There were several common themes I picked up on in each of the interviews, these were to do with making accessibility the norm and not something to be done under special measures for those with disabilities as this can create a new kind of segregation and not result in inclusion.

This will be a challenge for society as there is ingrained systemic discrimination in society. Government policies can play a huge determining factor here as adequate funding for facilities, equipment, financial support, etc will result those from marginalised communities being able to shine.

In my own teaching context, considerations for students with disabilities have included sign language translators for deaf students, accessible text files, captioning for videos and audio files for students with learning difficulties and ISAs detailing specific learning circumstances for students.