We the minority-of-minorities: a narrative inquiry of black female academics in the United Kingdom

Abstract

This article highlights the additional marginalisation of black female academics within the UK academy of higher education. The article engages with the narratives of eight such women as they navigate their careers as a minority-of-minorities within high-ranking institutions. The literature on black academic severe under-representation, intersectionality theory and the author’s own experience as a black female academic is used abductively to story the narratives and engage the reader towards an emancipatory aim. Critically, it highlights the additional marginalisation of black academics due to racism and the double marginalisation of black females based primarily on their race and gender. The findings both confirm and richly contextualise the literature from an insider perspective. The narratives provide implications for policy and further research.