The Gold Dust of Academia

: British-Bangladeshi Women’s Access into and Experiences of Postgraduate Research

Abstract

In UK higher education (HE), calls for greater racial representation among academic staff have long been recommended. However, little is known about incumbent doctoral students who represent the future generation of racially minoritised academics. As UK HE policy levers begin to meaningfully consider the access, success, and progression of racially minoritised postgraduate researchers, and universities commit towards anti-racist practice, this thesis explores a hyper-minoritised group at the intersection of these prevailing issues. This qualitative study investigates how British-Bangladeshi women access and experience postgraduate research (PGR) to enhance and facilitate their growth within the UK doctoral student population. Using Critical Race Theory, Black feminist, decolonial and participatory methodologies, the narratives of ten British-Bangladeshi female PGR students are offered (via conversational interviews and a follow-up focus group). Findings highlight how generational and structural inequalities experienced by the British-Bangladeshi diaspora greatly impact women’s educational outcomes, particularly when accessing and succeeding in doctoral study. Women describe the paradoxical nature of their PGR experiences as both harmful and fulfilling due to the complexities of race, gender, class, and religion in their lived experiences. Whilst British-Bangladeshi women have historically been epistemically silenced and regarded through deficit lenses within academic literature, three novel concepts (a typology of intersectional struggle; angaaz; and re-existence as ‘Purposeful Pioneers’) foreground their agency, resistance, activism, and challenge to systemic inequalities. This includes how women’s research and ambitions were connected to projects of social (in)justice. Whilst utilising strategic practices to disrupt structural hegemony, their realisation of doing so became greater in a communal setting of British-Bangladeshi female doctoral students (Angaaz Sisters). Implications of the research are discussed concerning failures of UK HE equality, diversity, and inclusion practices; Widening Participation agendas; and the importance of community for British-Bangladeshi female PGR students. Recommendations for HE institutions and policymakers committed to building the academic pipeline for British-Bangladeshi women are suggested.

Date of Award	17 Oct 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Winchester
Supervisor	Robert Beckford (Supervisor) & Simon Boxley (Supervisor)