Not On My Watch: White Time In Post-Secondary Education And Its Impacts On Students’ Mental Health

Abstract

This is a qualitative narrative study of the impact that white time within post-secondary educational institutions has on the mental health of students. White time can be described as the concept of time that has been created to favour the experiences of the dominant white community. Using a narrative approach, the researcher interviewed several participants to understand how current and/or past post-secondary students understand time within these academic institutions. After interviewing two students, and analyzing the data, it was found that both students found the temporal constraints within post-secondary education to be overwhelming. Both participants described situations in which they have experienced white time within their academic careers. Additionally, both participants linked their experiences of white time and of temporal constraints to a negative impact on their mental health.