Completing PhD as a black student ‘like swimming against current’

The process of completing a PhD for black students in the UK is like learning how to swim against a current, according to academics.

The editors of a new book, The Black PhD Experience, told Times Higher Education that they wanted the publication’s first-hand accounts of black doctoral graduates to “lighten the path” for future students.

De-Shaine Murray, a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University and one of the book’s editors, said that PhD environments were “essentially not fit for purpose” because many young people might be the first black student in a department or course.

“That can be quite isolating, because it’s almost like you’re very hyper-visible but at the same time invisible because no one else looks like you,” he added.

“It is like trying to learn how to swim but then it’s like trying to swim against a current.”

Dr Murray, who is also the founder of a number of black student support groups, said the UK sector had improved since the Black Lives Matter movement and has increased its intake among the black community.

However, he warned it has only just “scratched the surface” and that “glaring issues” remain, in particular the attainment gap.

“You’re coming into quite isolated and toxic environments that essentially grind you down and you're not then able to retain your achievements.”

The book, which includes the personal experiences of dozens of different black academics, includes accounts of how unnecessary institutional barriers leave many “traumatised from their higher education experiences”.

The editors said they were “sick and tired” of hearing about the intentions of universities, and instead call for “intentional concrete actions” that recognise the needs of black and other under-represented students.

Campus resource collection: Being Black in the academy

Jacqueline Darkwa, a documentary filmmaker and another of the book’s five editors, told THE that the book was not intended to send messages to the sector itself but was meant to speak directly to black communities.

“We hope that this book will be a marker in the sand and that people will be encouraged to share their stories,” added Ms Darkwa.

“For the next generation of scholars to come through the ivory tower, something needs to be done more immediately.”

By putting many of the authors’ perspectives on record, including their stories of overcoming the odds, Ms Darkwa hoped the book would therefore serve as a form of “collective shared knowledge” for the community.

“I think allowing that to be shared and that to be on record allows us to really lighten the path,” added Dr Murray.

“And that in itself is knowledge being power, because hopefully the road for those who come next will be a lot easier than it has been in many cases for us.”

Authors of the book call for universities to make PhD applications more transparent, for proactive mental health support for black students, effective processes to deal with racism and bullying, and more funding for black support groups.

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com