Why are you trying to teach us about institutional racism? : An autoethnographic account of experiencing racial trauma while delivering an anti-racist pedagogy workshop

Chavrimootoo, Danielle Corinne (2025) Why are you trying to teach us about institutional racism? : An autoethnographic account of experiencing racial trauma while delivering an anti-racist pedagogy workshop. Ethnic and Racial Studies. pp. 1-14. ISSN 0141-9870

Abstract

This article examines the barriers to embedding anti-racist teaching and learning practices within predominantly white UK Higher Education schools. Teaching antiracism is a political project and remains difficult in universities where “objective” and “apolitical” knowledge is traditionally valued (Wagner, A. E. 2005. “Unsettling the Academy: Working through the Challenges of Anti-Racist Pedagogy.” Race, Ethnicity, and Education 8 (3): 261–275). Using a qualitative autoethnographic case study, it explores the personal and structural challenges a female academic of colour faces when attempting to advance anti-racist practices. Drawing on career reflections and a critical incident during an anti-racist pedagogy workshop in a Law department, Padilla’s (1994. “Ethnic Minority Scholars, Research, and Mentoring: Current and Future Issues.” Educational Researcher 2 (3): 24–27) theory of cultural taxation is applied to illustrate the disproportionate burdens placed on staff of colour. While widely studied in the US, cultural taxation remains underexplored in UK academic development. The study calls for trauma-informed approaches, more substantial support from white leadership, and sustained allyship. Prioritising psychological safety, racial literacy, and racial trauma awareness training for all staff, and greater institutional recognition of race equity work.