In this chapter, we critically reflect upon our respective experiences as white academics regarding our teaching on race and racism within our discipline of the sociology of sport and PE. Our central concern lies in the fact that we, as academics with white privilege, are an essential part of the problem, in that there is a significant lack of BAME academics teaching within our discipline, and within the academy more broadly (Arday, 2018; Gillborn, 2008; NUS, 2016). Given this, our chapter will initially explore the structural whiteness of teaching in HE, before discussing critical practices and pedagogies aimed at de-centring whiteness from the spaces we operate in. We conclude that whilst we cannot eradicate or ignore the impact of our whiteness within our teaching practice, nor the inherent privileges it has afforded us, we can endeavour to reflexively amend our pedagogical practices in order to acknowledge the structural inequalities evident within our field. To this end, we tentatively offer some reflections and recommendations which may help other white academics to re-consider the extent to which their pedagogical practices effectively and equally empowers students of all ethnicities.
Hobson, MichaelWhigham, Stuart
Department of Sport, Health Sciences and Social Work
Year of publication: 2021Date of RADAR deposit: 2021-03-24
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