Abstract
The role of ethnic identity in the composition and experiences of young (female) contract researchers has rarely been explored in the context of British academia (Burke et al. 2000; Fenton et al. 2000; Mirza, forthcoming). Figures suggest that minority ethnic groups are deterred from entering into an academic career. In 2004 only 6.3% of academics were Asian and 1.4% were Black (HEFCE 2004). Lower figures of minority ethnic academics have also been recorded in more senior positions (HEFCE 2004). Furthermore, women from all minority ethnic backgrounds are more likely to be in temporary positions (Fenton et al. 2000). As a result, identity politics as an unspoken force in an increasingly market driven higher education (HE) system remains unexplored yet fundamental. In this paper we borrow the concept of niche market from economics and marketing, given the increasing emphasis on competition, individualisation and specialism in HE. Niche markets refer to small specialised markets based on unique selling points and target audiences.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Ali, S.(2003) Mixed-Race, Post-Race: Gender, New Ethnicities and Cultural Practices, London: BERG.
Appadurai, A.(1988) Putting hierarchy in its place, Cultural Anthropology, 3(1) 36–49.
Archer, L.(2002) ‘It’s easier that you’re a girl and that you’re Asian’: interactions of ‘race’ and gender between researchers and participants, Feminist Review, 72, 108–132.
Bravette, G.(1994) Black Women Managers and Participatory Action Research, World Congress 3 on Action: Learning Research and Process Management, University of Bath.
Burke, B., Cropper, A. and Hamson, P.(2000) Real or imagined–Black women’s experiences in the academy, Community, Work and Family, 3(3) 297–320.
Carby, H.(1982) ‘White woman listen! Black feminism and the boundaries of sisterhood’, in The Empire Strikes Back(CCS), London: Hutchinson.
Carter, J.(2004) Research note: reflections on interviewing across the ethnic divide, International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 7(4) 345–353.
Crace, J.(2004) ‘We remain almost invisible’, The Guardian, Tuesday 14th December 2004, http://education.guardian.co.uk/egweekly/story/0,1372658,00.html accessed 13th January 2005).
ESRC(2005) Submission Rates, http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/opportunities/postgraduate/FactsandFigures/index7.aspx(accessed 9th August 2005).
Fenton, S., Carter, J. and Modood, T.(2000) Ethnicity and academia: closure models, racism models and market models, in Sociological Research Online, Vol. 5, No. 2. http://www.socresonline.org.uk/5/2/fenton.html(accessed 12th June 2005)
Fog-Olwig, K. and Hastrup, F.(1997) Siting Culture: The Shifting Anthropological Object, London: Routledge.
Foucault, M.(1977) Discipline and Punishment, London: Allen Lane.
Foucault, M.(1979) The History of Sexuality Vol. 1, New York: Vintage Books.
Foucault, M.(1980) ‘Two lectures’, in C. Gordon(ed.), Michel Foucault: Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews and Other Writings, 1972–1977, Brighton: Harvester.
Freie, J.F.(1998) Counterfeit Community: The Exploration of Our Longings for Connectedness, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
Gregson, N., Kothari, U., Cream, J., Dwyer, C., Holloway, S., Maddrell, A. and Rose, G.(1997) Gender in feminist geography, in Women and geography Study Group(eds), Feminist Geographies: Explorations in Diversity and Difference, Harlow, Essex: Addison Wesley Longman, 49–85.
HEFCE(2004) Equal Opportunities Monitoring: Staff Tables, http://www.hefce.ac.uk/lgm/divers/eomonitor.asp(accessed 31st August 2005)
HEFCE(2005) HEFCE Race Equality Scheme — January 2005, http://www.hefce.ac.uk/lgm/divers/res.asp(accessed 16th August 2005)
Hillery, G.A.(1955) Definitions of community: areas of agreement, Rural Sociology, 20, 111–123.
Johnston, R.J., Gregory, D., Pratt, G. and Watts, M.(2000) The Dictionary of Human Geography, Oxford: Blackwell.
Kobayashi, A.(1994) Colouring the field: gender, ‘race’ and the politics of fieldwork, Professional Geographer, 46(1) 73–80.
LSBU(2005) About London South Bank University, http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/about/factsAndFigures.shtml(accessed 16th August 2005)
Mand, K.(2002) ‘Place, gender, power in transnational Sikh marriages’, in Global Networks. A Journal of Transnational Affairs, 2(3) 233–248.
Mand, K.(2004). Gendered places, transnational lives: Sikh women in Tanzania, Britain and Indian Punjab. PhD dissertation, The University of Sussex.
Marcus, G.E.(1995) ‘Ethnography in/of the world system: the emergence of multi-sited ethnography’, Annual Review of Anthropology, 24, 95–117.
Mirza, H.(forthcoming) The In/Visible Journey: Black Women’s Life-Long Lessonsin Higher Education.
Mohanty, C.T.(1993) Under Western eyes: feminists, scholarship and colonial discourses, in P. Williams and L. Chrisman(eds) Colonial Discourse and Post-Colonial Theory: A Reader, London: Harvester Wheatsheaf, 196–220.
ONS(2005) Neighbourhood Statistics: Isle of Wight, http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/AreaProfile2.do?tab=6(accessed 14th March 2005).
Reay, D.(2001) Finding or losing yourself?: working-class relationships to education, Journal of Education Policy, 16(4) 333–346.
Sharp, J.P., Routledge, P., Philo, C. and Paddison, R.(2000) Entanglements of Power: Geographies of Domination and Resistance, London: Routledge.
Sidaway, J.(1997) The production of British geography, Transactions, Institute of British Geographers, 22(4) 488–504.
Weller, S.(2004a) ‘Teenage Citizenship Geographies: Rural Spaces of Exclusion, Education and Creativity’, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Brunel University, July 2004.
Weller, S.(2004b) Researching the familiar: age, place and social capital in the field, in Edwards, R.(ed.), Social Capital in the Field. Researchers’ Stories. Families & Social Capital ESRC Research Group Working Paper. London: London South Bank University.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2007 Kanwal Mand and Susie Weller
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Mand, K., Weller, S. (2007). Ambivalent Positions: Ethnicity and Working in our ‘Own Communities’. In: Gillies, V., Lucey, H. (eds) Power, Knowledge and the Academy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230287013_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230287013_4
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-54676-3
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-28701-3
eBook Packages: Palgrave Social & Cultural Studies CollectionSocial Sciences (R0)