What do we know about Black and minority ethnic (BME) participation in UK higher education

Arday, Jason; Branchu, Charlotte; Boliver, Vikki

doi:10.1017/s1474746421000579

What do we know about Black and minority ethnic (BME) participation in UK higher education

Arday, Jason; Branchu, Charlotte; Boliver, Vikki

Authors

Dr Jason Arday jason.a.arday@durham.ac.uk
Visiting Professor

Charlotte Branchu

Professor Vikki Boliver vikki.boliver@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Abstract

Here, we offer a synthesis of recent evidence and new developments in relation to three broad aspects of Black and minority ethnic (BAME) students’ participation in UK higher education (HE). First, we examine recent trends in ethnic group differences in rates of access to, success within, and positive destinations beyond HE. Secondly, we examine the nature of UK universities as exclusionary spaces which marginalise BAME students in a myriad of ways, not least through curricula that centre Whiteness. Finally, we consider the impact of the marginalisation of BAME students on mental health. We argue that progress towards race equality in each domain has been hampered by white-centric discourses which continue to identify BAME students and staff as ‘other’. We highlight the important roles that academic communities and HE policy-makers have to play in advancing ethnic equality in UK universities.

Citation

Arday, J., Branchu, C., & Boliver, V. (2022). What do we know about Black and minority ethnic (BME) participation in UK higher education. Social Policy and Society, 21(1), 12-25. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1474746421000579

Journal Article Type	Article
Online Publication Date	Oct 4, 2021
Publication Date	2022-01
Deposit Date	Nov 19, 2020
Publicly Available Date	Feb 4, 2022
Journal	Social Policy and Society
Print ISSN	1474-7464
Electronic ISSN	1475-3073
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	21
Issue	1
Pages	12-25
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1017/s1474746421000579

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Copyright Statement
This article has been published in a revised form in Social Policy and Society https://doi.org/10.1017/S1474746421000579 . This version is published under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND. No commercial re-distribution or re-use allowed. Derivative works cannot be distributed. © The Author(s)