Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of abbreviations
- Notes on contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Preface
- Part I Introduction
- Part II Staff experiences of racism
- Part III Student experiences of racism
- Part IV Research systems enabling racism
- Part V Teaching systems enabling racism
- Part VI Pedagogies that enable racism
- Part VII Governance, strategy and operational systems
- Part VIII Conclusion
- Index
8 - Research excellence assessments
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 October 2022
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of abbreviations
- Notes on contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Preface
- Part I Introduction
- Part II Staff experiences of racism
- Part III Student experiences of racism
- Part IV Research systems enabling racism
- Part V Teaching systems enabling racism
- Part VI Pedagogies that enable racism
- Part VII Governance, strategy and operational systems
- Part VIII Conclusion
- Index
Summary
Introduction
The notion of research excellence, research awards and the research excellence framework (REF) are significant contributors to disempowering Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff from progressing in their research careers in academia (Rees, 2020). The notion of research excellence is noted to ‘typically promote destructive hyper-competition, toxic power dynamics and poor leadership behaviour’ (Obasi, 2020). The REF’s 2021 equality impact assessment highlighted that more needed to be done to include ethnic minority groups into the process (Reid, 2020). However, the impact assessment makes no mention of intersectionality, or the experience of female Black African and/or Black Caribbean staff that are highly under-represented in academia and in the realm of research excellence. Despite REF panellists who
receive equality and diversity training and [where] outputs will be analysed by protected characteristics, these post-hoc analyses will not influence university scores. Narrative submissions describing strategies and approaches to support institutional equality and diversity will be assessed under ‘environment’, but there is no requirement for data about how minorities experience those environments. This is disappointing, as the presence of strategies has been shown to correlate poorly with actual working conditions and progression for women and minorities in universities. (Obasi, 2020, p 652)
The REF process and experience is at the heart of perpetuating systemic racism, prohibiting Black and ethnic minority academics’ progress in their research careers where such marginalisation disempowers and disables Black, Asian and minority ethnic researchers’ voices, presence and experience (Mirza, 2018).
Voices from literature
On its website in March 2017, HEFCE noted that the previous equality and diversity panel had ‘expressed disappointment’ that limited progress had been made since the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise towards increasing diversity in the membership of the REF panel, which judges the ratings that research submissions are awarded.
The backdrop to HEFCE’s decision is a growing body of evidence that suggests that racism persists in higher education despite significant advances in policy making and student body diversity. Recent statistics indicate that Black and minority ethnic staff remain and that they are far less likely to become professors compared to their White colleagues.
- Type
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- Information
- Anti-Racism in Higher EducationAn Action Guide for Change, pp. 90 - 95Publisher: Bristol University PressPrint publication year: 2022