The significance of faith for Black men's educational aspirations

Abstract

It is uncontested that British African Caribbean men are minimally represented in elite UK higher education institutions. Even as data demonstrates that African Caribbean males are more likely to study further education than White males and that the proportion of UK‐domiciled Black students pursuing higher education has increased since the 2003/04 academic year (ECU, 2014), the representation of Black students throughout the Russell Group remains low. Less than 3% of the entire Russell Group's student population comprised British African Caribbean students in 2011/12 and 2012/2013 (ECU, 2013, p. 203; ECU, 2014, p. 358). However, according to the 2011 Census, ‘Black’ people represent 5.5% (3.1 million) of the total UK population (ONS, 2015). For the few Black men who are successful in attaining acceptance at these exclusive universities, to what assets or capitals do these young men attribute their ability to get to and successful graduate from these institutions? Interviews with 15 Black male students who attended Russell Group universities in England and Wales were analysed and several ‘capitals’ or resources were identified as beneficial to their ability to succeed. Drawing on Bourdieu's work on cultural and social capital, this paper advances the concept of ‘faith capital’ as a unique recognised asset that six of the participants described and reflected upon as being influential on their academic trajectories. Based on findings from the ESRC‐funded research Exploring the narratives of the few: British African Caribbean male graduates of elite universities in England and Wales, this paper discusses these six participants’ accounts of their higher education journeys in relation to how they identified faith as a resource that was influential to their academic success.

Homeless not hopeless: understanding how graduate students who experience homelessness and housing insecurity successfully navigate their education

“…Finally, the data in this study highlighted faith as a foundational factor in participants' everyday lives. They activated their faith in God through prayer, meditation, reading the Bible, and connections with church members in challenging times (Dumangane, 2017;Liu, 2007;McKinney, 2020;Park et al, 2020;Patton & McClure, 2009;Pinn, 2002;Scheese, 2018;Yosso, 2005). The data corroborated evidence from earlier studies underscoring that participants' faith in God served as a coping mechanism during challenging housing experiences.…”

Geographies of elite higher education participation: An urban ‘escalator’ effect

“…Previous qualitative research suggests that some ethnic minority families (typically represented in higher proportions in urban areas) often have very high aspirations for, and expectations of, their children (Modood, 2004; Shah et al ., 2010), which may not always be the case for families and young people living in physically and socially isolated locations such as small towns suffering the effects of de‐industrialisation (Brown, 2012). In a study of male African‐Caribbean students studying at Russell Group universities, Dumangane (2017) also suggests that the interplay between ethnic identity and faith can impact positively on propensity to attend an elite institution.…”

Intersectional oppression: A reflexive dialogue between Muslim academics and their experiences of Islamophobia and exclusion in UK Higher Education

“…The institutional elements mentioned here create the context for this paper in which to draw attention to the lived experiences of early career Muslim academic staff members, provoked by the lack of research in this area. Despite the increasing attention paid towards religious inclusion, and the benefits of this for students (Codiroli Mcmaster, 2020; Dumangane, 2017; Park & Bowman, 2015), little is known about Muslim staff members as an underrepresented group, with numerical data concerning Muslim women academics largely being absent (Ramadan, 2021). Where over 90% of Muslim staff members also belong to Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds (Advance HE, 2020) in the UK, it is only reasonable to assume that these experiences are further marred by race yet need to be regarded as distinctly different given the element of religion (for a deeper discussion on the racialisation of Muslims and Muslim identity formation see: Garner & Selod, 2015; Gholami, 2021; Kundnani, 2014; Meer & Modood, 2008; Selod & Embrick, 2013).…”