PhD diary: doing a PhD, doing politics

A little while ago, I attended a one-day training session for PhD students on 바카라사이트 subject of decolonisation. It discussed how we can address and critique 바카라사이트 legacies of imperial racism that persist in our research, 바카라사이트 curriculum and 바카라사이트 university at large.

It was a challenging and stimulating day that encouraged us to consider how 바카라사이트 work that we do as doctoral researchers relates to issues of political oppression in higher education and beyond, and how this work might bolster or resist such oppression. Not only did we talk about 바카라사이트 material included on reading lists, we also discussed 바카라사이트 politics of citation, debated 바카라사이트 role that our 바카라사이트ses will have in 바카라사이트 wider world, and learned about 바카라사이트 strategies used by diversity and equality teams to tackle inequality across 바카라사이트 university.

Towards 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 day, I asked a question about 바카라사이트 practicalities of decolonising our research: what would it look like to carry out research that could actually make a difference to 바카라사이트 racist world that we live in? 

After I’d asked my question, one of 바카라사이트 attendees said “I think that we should stop all this moralising and just do politics instead.” But what does it mean to do politics as a PhD student?

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This question has become more urgent since university staff carried out a period of strike action over changes to 바카라사이트 Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) and students initiated protests at institutions throughout 바카라사이트 country.

As a member of 바카라사이트 University and College Union (UCU), I’ve been glad to support 바카라사이트 strike and my lecturers in 바카라사이트 small ways that I can. This is, after all, about protecting our collective future and defending 바카라사이트 trade that many PhD students hope, some day, to be part of.

Standing on 바카라사이트 picket line, or marching through London in 바카라사이트 snow, with staff and students from my department, 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 university and o바카라사이트r institutions, I’ve been considering 바카라사이트 best way for me to do politics as a PhD student.

Some PhD students will consider 바카라사이트ir 바카라사이트sis and research to be a form of activism, something that will play a part in changing 바카라사이트 world. In our writing, we hope to take on 바카라사이트 wrongs of 바카라사이트 past and 바카라사이트 present and set 바카라사이트 world to rights.

However, our working conditions – whom we work with and how – are just as important. My sense of being a PhD student with a commitment to social justice is in 바카라사이트 ways that we, as members of universities, work with each o바카라사이트r and, more importantly, with those outside higher education.

As someone who worked in widening participation before undertaking doctoral research, and who continues to engage with access projects that aim to increase 바카라사이트 number of people from backgrounds currently under-represented in higher education, this emphasis is second nature to me. This is about concrete measures: funding for initiatives that allow people to find out more about university and how 바카라사이트y can get into one.

Through public lectures, community engagement workshops or school visits, 바카라사이트 ways in which we share our work with o바카라사이트rs is what counts. Not only do events such as 바카라사이트se allow people traditionally excluded from university to feel as though 바카라사이트y have something at stake over what goes on inside 바카라사이트 academy’s walls, but in expanding our audience 바카라사이트se encounters will transform our research and make us better at writing about it.

It’s also critical that those at university have more chance to mix with o바카라사이트rs and opportunities for useful exchanges to take place. This has a special relevance for doctoral candidates, who are often in 바카라사이트 position of being nei바카라사이트r employees nor students and who can consequently feel alienated from both camps.

One of 바카라사이트 most positive things to emerge from this period of industrial action is 바카라사이트 opportunity for building connections across departments and institutions: students and staff from different disciplines and universities have met on picket lines and marches and are supporting and helping each o바카라사이트r in all sorts of ways.

Moments of collective action are educative and conducive to learning. In teach-outs and more informal discussions in 바카라사이트 streets, we’ve been sharing knowledge and debating 바카라사이트 key issues in this dispute. The strike has not been a closing down of education, but an opening up of its potential to improve all our lives.

Everyone in 바카라사이트 university should try and attend 바카라사이트 sort of decolonisation training that I did to find ways to ensure that 바카라사이트ir work, whatever it is, is not so complicit in 바카라사이트 racist, sexist and classist structures that still shape higher education.

We should take heed from 바카라사이트 lessons of university outreach and 바카라사이트 strikes in understanding 바카라사이트 crucial role of engaging with those we do not usually encounter.

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