Twentieth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

Ivory Tower is a key project focused on race and gender inequality in higher education. The first phase of the research examines the experiences of women of colour and the way racism manifests in day to day experiences within faculties and departments, from subtle microagressions to overt racialised and gendered abuse. In the follow-up to this project, the focus shifts from creating critical consciousness around race and gender inequality to transformation in teaching, research, professional and community practice aimed at addressing race and gender disparities with a particular focus on tackling whiteness as a recurrent theme throughout the first phase. Transforming the Ivory Tower provides case studies that highlight self-defined and negotiated pathways for race and gender equality developed by women of colour as change makers. This research documents how the contributors navigate often hostile spaces within academia to create meaningful roles that contribute to social justice. This research is significant in highlighting the often-unacknowledged contributions to the knowledge economy and wider society to advance race and gender equality. Theorised from a Black feminist and critical race standpoint, these narratives privilege the lived experience, intellectual, social, and cultural capital of women of colour.