Shades of Noir
The Shades of Noir (SoN) website offers a wide range of programmes, publications and educational resources on social justice that leverage equality, cultural capital and the voices of students and staff who are marginalised in Higher Education settings.
Since curriculum design is part of my role as a Senior Lecturer, I plan to use the guidance provided by SoN in the development of the content of the elective Unit on ‘Fashion Practices for Social Change’, to understand exclusionary practices, create safe spaces in the delivery of the unit, and equip the students with skillsets and mindsets that foster social justice.
I have also found the virtual learning netiquette proposed by SoN very useful and I plan to adopt it in my online teaching and delivery of various webinars in the future.
Another interesting resource which I was not aware of is the ‘Diversity Questions’, which will be useful for me in developing inclusive pedagogy, monitoring student experience and attainment, recruiting staff, and supporting a positive experience and development for staff members who I manage and work with.
Whilst the SoN framework is still valid and perhaps timeless, I wonder how can we ensure Climate, Racial and Social Justice principles are embedded within our curriculum in a commitment to accelerate decolonisation and decarbonisation of our educational and creative practice? And given that the safe(r) space crits may no longer be delivered by SoN since its closure, how can we create ‘safe’ spaces in social justice education, and how ‘brave’ are we in discussing ‘challenging’ subjects within our teaching practice?
A Pedagogy of Social Justice Education: Social Identity, Theory and Intersectionality
The article by Hahan Tapper discusses a US-based intergroup educational organisation to exemplify theories and principles of social justice education (as illustrated in FIgure 1). Although the context of the article (i.e. a US-based organisation running conflict transformation programmes) is quite different than that of UAL, I found the concepts of social identity theory, intersectionality and empowerment very relevant to my teaching practice in fashion and design for social change, and UAL’s wider commitment to embed social justice principles in the curriculum.
I agree with Freire’s argument that teaching can often perpetuate the status quo and that we need to challenge power dynamics and transform the educational system. In line with Freire’s point that we need to consider students’ identities and the teacher’s social identity in all educational settings, I believe it is crucial that – as educators – we facilitate opportunities for knowledge exchange with students and among them. Moreover, when I design or redesign units, I always ask for students’ feedback as a way to integrate their voices and experiences into the curriculum.
Another core take-away from this article is the need to shift from ‘contact hypothesis’ to ‘social identity theory’. This means that not only we need to create positive environments to facilitate interactions with people in order to eliminate stereotypes and overcome conflicts, but we should also facilitate the conditions for people to think of themselves and others as group members rather than unique individuals. This is at the core of the MA Fashion Entrepreneurship and Innovation course where I teach, whose ‘learning by doing’ ethos is underpinned by peer learning, and we – as educators – adopt a self-determined coaching approach with our ‘team entrepreneurs’, inspired also by the model of the Team Academy in Finland. Although I was not explicitly aware of the ‘social identity theory’, I believe I have applied this concept when I set up the ‘ReGo’ Collaborative Challenge brief, inviting my MA students to buddying up with young East Londoners, as experts of their own experiences, in order to build empathy, shift perceptions of youth violence, and develop effective collaborative projects grounded on complementary skills and shared values.
As I am setting up a Collaborative Challenge brief on ‘Decolonising Fashion and Textiles’, while I intend to invite my MA students to buddy up with refugees, I wonder how I can overcome the potential risks of ‘othering’ those vulnerable collaborators. With this in mind, I will try as much as possible to foster a sense of equality, the development of empathic relationships, and offer intercultural communication training to my students.
Witness: Unconscious Bias
The video by Josephine Kwhali challenges the definition and concept of ‘unconscious bias’, highlighting that if we are so conscious of something, how can we also become unaware of it? This is really timely in the educational landscape, and UAL is aptly developing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategies, Anti-Racism Action Plans, and Social Purpose agendas. However, the video reminds us that we still have a lot to do and talk about to get conscious about racism. Critically, Kwhali highlights that HEis have historically made conscious changes to benefit white people, but not enough has been done for minority ethnic groups. Since I joined UAL, I have taken the ‘Breaking Barriers’ mandatory training, but I realise that learning about unconscious bias is just a first step towards awareness, and I wonder what actions can be most effective for all of us to take in our everyday teaching practice, in order to really tackle structural and systemic racism.
Retention and Attainment in the Disciplines: Art and Design
This report raises relevant issues of retention and attainment of students in Art and Design, especially considering our increasingly diverse student body.
An important recommendation made by the authors of the report is to hire diverse faculty, in terms of race, gender, etc. to reflect student cohorts. Considering that the percentage of BAME staff presented in the report is strikingly low (3.6%), this poses serious issues for HEIs to improve their hiring policies and practices. I have always been mindful of this issue and of the fact that teachers are like role models for students. Whenever possible, I have tried to hire colleagues from diverse ethnic backgrounds. However, I am aware that this is issue is one of the effects of structural and institutional racism that requires a long time to be totally overcome, and I have little or no control over certain situations, but I intend to amplify the voice and practice of BAME colleagues, bring in diverse guest lecturers when I can, and diversity my teaching materials and reading lists.
I know that the UAL hiring policy requires for a member of interview panels to be BAME, but I wonder how can we overcome the issue that those few colleagues receive too many requests to sit in panels? And how can we go beyond what could be just a tick-box exercise and really contribute to organisational and systemic change?
Another interesting concept that I took away from this report is the ‘pedagogy of ambiguity’ linked to practice-based learning with open briefs. This is relevant to my teaching practice as I often set up student project briefs related to my research (e.g. for the Year 1 unit of the BA Fashion Jewellery course, as discussed in this blog post). In such cases, I ask open-ended questions that allow for a variety of responses, and I encourage my students to bring their lives experiences into their projects and learning journey. As a result, the students are genuinely driven by their personal stories, interests and experiences, and develop really authentic and original projects. In the end, the sharing of experiences is a very enriching experience for everyone, and this also contributes to amplifying the impact and reach of my practice. While such brief encourage risk taking, I have now become more aware of the potential ambiguity of my briefs, and in the future I will be more sensitive towards students – especially from diverse cultural backgrounds – who may look for more certainty and reassurance.
SoN Terms of Reference around Race – White Fragility
This publication reports on data on black attainment gap, discusses the concept of race in relation to issues such as white supremacy and privilege, and proposes pathways towards transformative change within arts education.
I was intrigued by the chapter by Robin DiAngelo, who unpacks the concept of ‘white fragility’ which was new to me. Given that I am a white European myself, I found this article really interesting as it discusses issues of racism from the perspective of white people, and made me reflect on the segregation, individualism, racial comfort and arrogance which we experience. Given that I have never experienced racism towards me directly, I acknowledge that I may be more inclined towards racial stress and have developed less resilience than people of colour.
This chapter reminded me of the importance to constantly acknowledge my own positionality and privilege in my work, the need to authentically engage with diverse students and staff, promote diversity in my teaching practice (in terms of decolonising the curriculum, inclusion of indigenous knowledge in fashion design practice, representation in fashion media, etc.) and deeply engage in tackling the racism that is embedded everywhere in my professional and personal life.