Universities Scotland

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON RACE EQUALITY

SETTING THE CONTEXT

The presence of racism is often equated with occurrences of racist incidents, the presence of the far right and explicit anti-social behaviour. The absence of these is often taken as evidence that there is no racism or racial discrimination. Low numbers of visible minority ethnic people can also lead to mistaken notions that race equality is an irrelevant issue. Addressing race equality within learning and teaching is part of quality enhancement. It is for the benefit of all students, and should not be viewed as only necessary when there are minority ethnic students around. To embed race equality and meet the obligations of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, there is a need to address the denial of difference which is still a prevalent approach in Scotland.

Towards race equality

Race equality aims to ensure the full and equitable participation of all racial groups.

There are several aspects to achieving race equality and all are necessary for a comprehensive and strategic approach to race equality in higher education. Single aspects used in isolation as the sole basis of a strategy to promote race equality will result in partial, fragmented or possibly inadequate responses.

The interlinking aspects are:

  1. developing awareness of race-related matters;
  2. valuing diversity (cultural, linguistic, ethnic, faith and belief);
  3. countering racism and racial discrimination.

Developing awareness of race-related matters

In 2001, the Scottish Executive Race Equality Advisory Forum (REAF) identified some possible reasons for the lack of progress in the promotion of race equality and anti-racism in Scotland.

Firstly, the small size and scattered geographical distribution of Scotland's visible minority ethnic communities has led people to view racism and racial discrimination as marginal issues for consideration in Scotland. Such thinking tends to be premised on the mistaken view that it is the presence of minority ethnic individuals or groups that cause racism and that race equality initiatives are simply for the benefit of minority groups. Awareness needs to be raised that as all groups have ethnic and cultural identities, race equality benefits all groups, minority and majority.

Secondly, there remains a belief that treating people the same is the most equitable way forward. This has resulted in differences of ethnicity, language, faith and belief, as well as culture, not being fully acknowledged or valued. The Forum indicated that such 'neutral' approaches have also hindered the development of an understanding of the effects of racism and inequality. It is as unjust to treat people similarly when in relevant respects they are different as it is to treat them differently when in relevant respects they are similar.

The Forum concluded that there is a need to raise individual as well as collective awareness about race-related issues in contemporary Scotland. For example,

The Scottish Executive's campaign 'One Scotland Many Cultures' is designed to tackle racism in Scotland. Its website provides information about racism in Scotland, ethnicity data, and a history of migration into Scotland which traces the history of a diverse range of people in Scotland, from the Flemish and Irish to more recent migrants including refugees and asylum seekers.

The website 'Don't Give It Don't Take It', though aimed at teachers and youth workers, provides detailed information for all educators about sectarianism in Scotland as well as looking at contemporary issues of Islamophobia.

A search on the internet using phrases such as 'racism in Scotland' can provide up-to-date information about the realities of racism as faced by citizens and visitors to Scotland.

The first part of Useful websites and reading provides suggestions for further reading on race-related matters relevant to Scotland.

Awareness-raising is essential to address the perception gap that is likely to exist for the majority of Scotland's people on matters related to race if they do not themselves experience racism or racial discrimination.

The numbers of visible minority ethnic students in Scottish higher education institutions is not high. It is important that the promotion of race equality is viewed as part of quality enhancement and as of benefit to all students, not just minority ethnic students.

Valuing diversity

This is a positive approach, encouraging people to acknowledge and understand a range of differences - for example, linguistic, cultural, ethnic and faith/belief diversities - and to view these differences as strengths rather than as problems. This challenges fundamental assumptions and beliefs and encourages people to see difference as valuable and not as a threat to the stability of society and communities.

Diversity results in a wider range of views and experiences; without these a learning organisation such as a university can become parochial and closed instead of creative and outward-looking. Diversity should not be used interchangeably or synonymously with equal employment opportunity or positive action, both of which have a base within race relations legislation. The goal of diversity is to create an environment where people, regardless of their diverse backgrounds, age, colour, ethnicity, sex, religion, disability, or sexual orientation, can feel appreciated and valued. Valuing diversity is essential for the growth of an organisation.

Countering racism and racial discrimination

Discussions around cultural diversity can take place without any reference to issues of racism and racial discrimination. In the promotion of race equality, the reality that racism and racial discrimination can prevent genuine racial equality should be recognised. Proactivity is required for the development of an explicit anti-racist approach which will directly challenge racially discriminatory practice and highlight the dangers of stereotyping or making assumptions about people from different ethnic or cultural backgrounds. This approach would also assist people to understand how racism operates and to take action to counter racism in its different forms.

Crude racism is easily identifiable and is likely to be infrequent within higher education institutions. However, subtle, low-key, unintentional racism which is harder to detect may be more common. Consider these statements from a range of academic staff in Scotland:

decoration: quotesI have seen people refusing to view them as individuals so staff will say things like 'In Chinese culture'; meanwhile there are goodness knows how many Chinese and they are all very, very different. It is that kind of uniformity that is unhelpful. Staff like to show how clever they are by saying that in China, they like their names pronounced this way around or whatever, but for me this is somewhat patronising because you get the same kind of attitudes - broad sweeping statements and you do not get them treating Scottish individuals like that.

decoration: quotesI know of a senior manager who, when asked by a member of the degree validation panel how the institution's degree courses were taking into account issues of race, responded by saying 'Well, we do not have many ethnic minorities here...' implying that the Act was therefore less relevant to their courses.

decoration: quotesNo one knows how ethnic minority students are coping as there is no concept of trying to understand issues from these ethnic minority students' perspectives.

decoration: quotesI think political correctness has resulted in people being treated blandly and while this is not vicious racism, it is a form of racism. There is now a superficial politeness which people adopt but they do not really allow you into their secret club.

decoration: quotesMy experience leads me to conclude that evidence of conscious attempts to design programmes to include racial equality/diversity within teaching is almost absent. What little attempts have been made in this area has been more as a marketing tool.

decoration: quotesSince the overseas, non-EU students have become more attractive for obvious reasons, university curriculum will design programmes/courses which might include some diversity. However, I have heard colleagues complaining about students wanting to write dissertations on topics related to home contexts.

What the above statements show is that personal attitudes, prejudices and values can and do play a part in influencing practice. Becoming more familiar with race-related issues, and hearing the voices of those who experience racism or racial discrimination, particularly the subtle forms of racism, will assist staff to sharpen their ability to detect different forms of racism or bias.

Conceptual considerations

or further information about why it is important to critically consider concepts around 'race' and 'anti-racism', see the Institutional Racism in Higher Education Toolkit written by the Centre for Ethnicity and Racism Studies, University of Leeds.

The key points raised from the Leeds resource are:

  • The need to consider the concept of racism, particularly 'everyday racism' and 'institutional racism'

' "Everyday racism" refers to forms of discrimination that manifest themselves in "systematic, recurrent, familiar practices". "Everyday racism" is infused into familiar practices, it involves socialized attitudes and behaviour.'

Many people are not consciously aware of any disparity or discrimination particularly if their ethnic group, culture or colour have been positively reinforced over a considerable period of time. However, interviews conducted with forty-five minority ethnic students across five Scottish universities and five members of academic staff over another four institutions show that there have been individuals who have had direct experiences of overt racist or racially insensitive behaviour, attitudes and actions from both fellow students and staff.

Understanding the concept of institutional racism is advocated as central if universities are to robustly consider how it operates to ensure race equality for minority ethnic staff and students. The definition of institutional racism is taken from the Macpherson Report on the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry which focuses on practices and norms which can unwittingly discriminate (e.g. offering induction programmes to students which involve core activities in a pub to aid socialising).

  • Eurocentricism

The idea or the practice of placing Europe at the centre of one's world view and an assumption of the supremacy of Europe and Europeans in world cultures needs to be addressed. There is a need to distinguish between European 'ethnocentricism', which is an understandable perspective to have given that Scottish universities are within a European or Western context, and the concept of Eurocentrism, which lays claim to a unviersal template of progress and development for all societies. Eurocentricism can affect practice within universities in the following areas:

  • course content
  • degree programmes
  • resources
  • research practice
  • research methods
  • teaching practice
  • attitudes to international students
  • attitudes to black and minority ethnic students.

his Toolkit provides ideas on how adopting a race equality approach will in part address the dominance of Eurocentricism.

  • Unpicking whiteness

This addresses the concept that for many people in Britain, being 'white' is concomitant with being 'normal'. In this section of the Leeds website, whiteness as a concept is unpicked and the implications of not analysing 'white' as 'norm' on the practice and ethos of an institution is consdered.

  • The importance of an anti-racist strategy

Multicultural and anti-racist approaches are discussed and various approaches to anti-racism are explained. The explicit message is that there is a need to move beyond a cultural approach to one that will actively educate and act against racism.

Approaches to avoid

In race equality discourse, the following concepts are generally recognised as being unhelpful in achieving race equality:

concepts that are generally recognised as being unhelpful in achieving race equality
Assimilation Invisibility Exclusion
Sanitisation Normativism Bias
Blaming the victim Patronising Stereotyping
Tokenism Exploitation Innuendo
Assimilation
A situation where individuals are expected to leave behind their distinctive identity in order to fit in with the values, attitudes and behaviours of a dominant group or culture - e.g. curriculum content does not acknowledge cultural, ethnic, linguistic or other forms of diversity but expects students to fit into the dominant cultural norm.
Invisibility
Ignoring or denying the experience or presence of minority groups and behaving as though they did not exist - e.g. 'I do not see their colour or their culture, to me they are all students, here to learn'.
Exclusion
The participation of minority groups is made difficult or impossible because of the ethos or approach - e.g. curriculum content does not recognise the validity of experiences learnt outwith a Scottish context, making it difficult or impossible for some students to share experiences or lessons learnt from elsewhere.
Sanitisation
Issues of racial discrimination are avoided and only non-controversial issues are dealt with - e.g. students wishing to explicitly discuss issues related to racism are denied the space to speak, in favour of students who wish to concentrate on discussing issues of culture, diversity or inclusion.
Normativism
The experiences or expectations of one group (usually the most powerful group) are made the yardstick for misleading or invidious comparisons with other groups - e.g. curriculum content that privileges Eurocentric notions of presence, validity, truth, sensibility, identity as 'given' - the commonsense notion.
Bias
Consideration of a topic is given from the viewpoint of only one group (often the majority group), resulting in a distorted view of reality - e.g. 'the busy and bustling streets of Edinburgh' but 'the overcrowded and congested streets of Mumbai' - a description which if read uncritically could create a negative stereotype of Mumbai.
Blaming the victim
Those who are suffering discrimination are seen to be the 'problem' and are made to bear responsibility for the fact that discrimination is taking place - e.g. seeing the minority ethnic person/culture/language as the problem: 'The reason they fall behind is because they just stick within their groups rather than joining in'.
Patronising
Treating those who are in the minority with condescension or pity, rather than acting to ensure that their dignity and rights are upheld and respected, and thus displaying one's sense of greater worth or importance - e.g. 'I feel sorry that their religion does not enable them as women to join in the field trip' rather than looking for possible variations that might enable participation e.g. organising single-sex options, or having a female director of studies or supervisor.
Stereotyping
Describing an individual in terms of the supposed characteristics of a group, and thereby making assumptions about their likely behaviour - e.g. 'Most minority ethnic students prefer to group together rather than socialise with the majority'.
Tokenism
Referring to the experience or lifestyle of minority ethnic people/groups in a trivial or marginal way, and thinking that, by this being done, racial inequality is being redressed - e.g. incorporating key black minority ethnic figures or showing special events/examples from different countries and cultures only as a one-off seen as irrelevant to the mainstream curriculum.
Exploitation
Using someone or a situation for one's own advantage - e.g. referring all race-related matters to minority ethnic members of staff within the school or department.
Innuendo
A remark made by someone in the majority group to amuse his/her peers, which contains a hidden insult or disagreeable suggestion about an individual or group which is based on a stereotype - e.g. jokes or comments often made about certain categories of people to elicit laughter or derision: 'promoting good race relations with international students - well we better take up belly dancing as part of CPD...'.

Fear of getting it wrong

decoration: quotesWell, when you suggest to some colleagues to use international case studies, some have indicated they will not go there in case they present the case studies inaccurately, offend or are seen as being racist.

Academic Staff comment

The desire not to offend or to get it wrong often prevents open discussion or debate. Given the complexity of the issues and the myriad of perspectives that surround this area of work, such concerns are understandable. However, they should not prevent educators from seeking opportunities to discuss racism or to put in place strategies that would more effectively promote race equality.

It might be worth remembering that the discussions around political correctness originally stemmed from an attempt by students at higher education establishments in the USA to challenge the established curriculum, which focused entirely on all-white, male, able-bodied, heterosexual subject matter. However, the original reasons for these changes were sensationalised and misrepresented. For example, it was claimed by some British newspapers that 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' had been banned in schools due to its use of 'black'.

Political correctness became a concept associated with 'what you are allowed to say and do and what you are not allowed to say and do'. This has unfortunately meant that some people have become anxious about discussing issues of equality, inclusion and anti-discrimination in case they are accused of being narrow-minded or discriminatory.

Internationalising the curriculum

As the student population becomes more informed of global issues and more diverse in its make-up, the curriculum within higher education in Scotland needs to be adapted to meet the diverse needs of students and employers in Scotland. At the dawn of the twenty-first century, the higher education curriculum should demand students who are critical thinkers and able to deal with the complexities of multicultural differences.

Internationalisation of the curriculum is more than just attracting international students. It is about developing a curriculum that will be

  • culturally inclusive
  • sensitive to diversity of fields of study
  • sensitive to diversity of perspectives from across the world
  • research-informed
  • wide-ranging
  • socially responsible
  • visionary and forward-looking.

An international approach will help us move away from a monocultural approach to one that addresses issues of diversity and Eurocentricism.

Scotland: a small country but not a country of small minds

Scotland, a country of some five million people, is now actively seeking a flow of fresh talent to flourish alongside native-born Scots and secure its place as an essential part of the global economy. The Scottish Parliament and Executive are committed to tackling racial discrimination and prejudice and to developing a modern, dynamic Scotland - one that fosters integration but respects diversity. The website One Scotland Many Cultures has been developed to promote these messages.

A review of race equality in Scotland by the Scottish Executive at the end of 2005 found that more action still needs to be taken as many people, particularly visible minority ethnic people, are still finding their choices and opportunities limited because of their race, whether this discrimination is by design or default.

'Education is one of the most powerful weapons you can use to change the world.'

Nelson Mandela

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