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This article explores the importance of anti-racism in a higher Education context. With reference to the recent discussions on de-colonising the curriculum, I reflect on the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement. I argue more vehemently than ever before – enough is enough – we have no choice but to teach against racism. This article discusses the importance of de-colonising the curriculum and Higher Education and creating learning environments that open out discussions about everyday racism. This, I argue, is core to our anti-racist practise if we intend to build a fairer and a more anti-racist world.

This article provides a critical reflection on Birmingham Black Sisters’ (BBS) experiences of fighting racism and sexism during the 1980s, having lain dormant for three decades and now attempting to regalvanise, the article explores some of the key tensions they faced and reflects on the possibilities for future activism. The article is based on both individual contributions from BBS members, who loosely maintain contact today, as well as BBS archives (minutes and reflection) and material from a publication of one of the male dominated organisations with which BBS was involved. The views expressed here, however, are the sole responsibility of the authors. We first outline the political context in which BBS was formed in the 1980s, why we came together and what we achieved. We then highlight some of the contradictions this presented, and how these unfolded then, and their impact on us today.

For my dear friend, colleague and comrade Joyce. I write this with great sadness. Joyce fought a strong and brave battle against cancer for nearly two years, hoping that the treatments would finally end so she could get on with her life. This was my hope, too, because Joyce has so much ‘unfinished business’ – the book to complete, the articles to write and her contribution to the struggles of the land movement in Brazil to make. In a truly Freirean sense, she was building a movement with this community of farmers, teachers and academics. Joyce struggled against capitalism and its many violences and oppressions – imperialism, racism, sexism, ableism. ‘Fuck them all,’ she would say. ‘Fuck them all and let us build a better world’.

In a climate of Islamophobic racism, where media racism saturates our TV screens and newspapers, where racism on the streets, on campus, in our community become everyday realities, I ask, what can we – teachers, lecturers and educationalists – do in the work of anti-racism in education? This article examines classroom debates on Islamophobia by exploring the connections between student experiences and the wider social political issues and ideologies that create and re-enforce racism. The underlying interest for me is to examine the ways in which classroom interaction; dialogue and exchanges can undo racist thinking by informed anti-racist critique. This article has three sections; first, I discuss the multicultural and anti-racist discourses within education in the British context. I then go on to explore theoretical developments found in Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a tool for this anti-racism in education. In the second section I examine Islamophobia, the hatred of Muslims, as a measurement of current ...

This paper draws on the lived experiences of the authors, two black women who currently teach at a higher education institution. Personal experiences of racism in education are explored thr...

This article explores the everyday experiences of minority ethnic students at a university in the West Midlands. Based on interviews with 23 second-level students taking Sociology modules, it seeks to highlight the key social, personal and pedagogic issues for this group of minority ethnic students and to deepen understandings of cultural identity and exchange on campus. The students' multiple narratives and voices are central to the article, as is the possibility that there are multiple ways of experiencing teaching and learning at a university.

This article reports on the views of seven Asian female Social Science students following a class seminar on religious issues and schooling at a university in the UK. It explores the importance of ...

This article reflects on a seminar discussion I had with students, where the exchanges that took place highlighted the anti-Muslim racism that permeated attitudes within the class. Muslim students drew on their lived experiences as they challenged the anti-Muslim racism that emerged from the class session. The underlying aim here is to examine ways in which classroom interactions, dialogues and exchanges can inform anti-racist thinking. Anti-racist education, I argue, must seek to critique the structures, policies and curriculum that reinforce racial inequalities, but it must also make use of social experiences that can inform this critique. This article argues that, despite the difficulty in teaching sensitive issues such as anti-Muslim racism/discrimination, students’ comments can become the material for anti-racism insights. The significance of ethnicity and identity in education is crucial to this endeavour. Student voice, counter-narratives and perspectives should be encouraged in this challe...

Teaching about ‘race’ and racism to a diverse student group can lead to some very interesting exchanges. Some of these moments are much to do with the subject content. Learning about racism often pulls on our emotional strings: black students sometimes express their hurt and anger, while white students sometimes remain silent or express their hurt, shame and discomfort. The lecturer’s racialised identity is an important factor in these emotional exchanges. Black lecturers are sometimes judged for their ‘loyalties and sensibilities’ with the black community, while white lecturers are questioned for their understanding and sympathies with ‘race’/racism issues. This paper considers how social identities and physical appearances impact on the teaching and learning process and issues of student and lecturer positionalities and identities in the Higher Education context. In particular, it examines how much being white or black can matter in teaching and learning about race and racism, and the importance of crit...