‘I love a curry’: student-teacher discourse around ‘race’ and ethnicity at a UK university

Linda Dunne; Virginia Kay; Rachel  Boyle; Felix Obadan; Vini Lander

doi:10.1080/02607476.2017.1415514

‘I love a curry’: student-teacher discourse around ‘race’ and ethnicity at a UK university

Linda Dunne, Virginia Kay, Rachel Boyle, Felix Obadan, Vini Lander

School of Education

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Abstract

This paper presents aspects of a small-scale study that considered student teachers’ language and discourse around race and ethnicity at a university in the northwest of England. The first part of the paper critiques current education-related policy, context and practice to situate the research and then draws upon aspects of critical race theory and whiteness theory as frames of reference. In the research, 250 student-teachers completed questionnaires that invited responses to statements about race and ethnicity and this was followed by two semi-structured group interviews. A discourse analysis approach was taken to analyse the language used in the questionnaire responses and, in particular, the group interviews. Recurrent discursive configurations were characterised by language that signified othering, correct knowledge, personalisation and discomfort. Hesitations and silences during group discussions perhaps intimated thinking time and also maybe a reluctance to talk about aspects of race and ethnicity, and what was not said remains significant. It is suggested that a reconstruction of a teacher/educator subjectivity that fosters self-reflection on values and racial positioning, is needed in teacher education, alongside critical examination of the silences and discomfort surrounding race and ethnicity. © 2018, Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. The attached document (embargoed until 10/07/2019) is an author produced version of a paper published in JOURNAL OF EDUCATION FOR TEACHING uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self- archiving policy. The final published version (version of record) is available online at the link below. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it.

Original language	English
Journal	JOURNAL OF EDUCATION FOR TEACHING
Volume	44
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2017.1415514
Publication status	Published - 10 Jan 2018

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10.1080/02607476.2017.1415514

L. Dunne et al accepted versionAccepted author manuscript, 166 KB

Cite this

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title = "{\textquoteleft}I love a curry{\textquoteright}: student-teacher discourse around {\textquoteleft}race{\textquoteright} and ethnicity at a UK university",

abstract = "This paper presents aspects of a small-scale study that considered student teachers{\textquoteright} language and discourse around race and ethnicity at a university in the northwest of England. The first part of the paper critiques current education-related policy, context and practice to situate the research and then draws upon aspects of critical race theory and whiteness theory as frames of reference. In the research, 250 student-teachers completed questionnaires that invited responses to statements about race and ethnicity and this was followed by two semi-structured group interviews. A discourse analysis approach was taken to analyse the language used in the questionnaire responses and, in particular, the group interviews. Recurrent discursive configurations were characterised by language that signified othering, correct knowledge, personalisation and discomfort. Hesitations and silences during group discussions perhaps intimated thinking time and also maybe a reluctance to talk about aspects of race and ethnicity, and what was not said remains significant. It is suggested that a reconstruction of a teacher/educator subjectivity that fosters self-reflection on values and racial positioning, is needed in teacher education, alongside critical examination of the silences and discomfort surrounding race and ethnicity. {\textcopyright} 2018, Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. The attached document (embargoed until 10/07/2019) is an author produced version of a paper published in JOURNAL OF EDUCATION FOR TEACHING uploaded in accordance with the publisher{\textquoteright}s self- archiving policy. The final published version (version of record) is available online at the link below. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it.",

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