Senior Research Fellow, Dr Barbara Adewumi, has published “(un)Making the imposter syndrome” in The Black PhD Experience Book.
The Black PhD Experience book helps to gain a deeper sense of structural inequalities experienced by marginalised groups emphasising that a greater understanding is required on the impact inequality is having on the pipeline of PhD postgraduates and early career researchers in higher education. Dr Barbara Adewumi (of Caribbean heritage) embarked on her PhD as a mature student with a young family. She also taught Sociology and Business Studies in Mid Kent College and and lectured in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Kent to help her and her husband self-fund her PhD. Her story, told through the lens of Critical Race Theory exposes the invisible burdens faced by Black women in academia. There were moments where she felt like an imposter being in spaces that were not shaped for women like her. Her personal story appreciates various difficulties; caring for a young family, tasked with juggling mountainous teaching workloads and navigating the precarious contract landscape all whilst trying to establish collegiate networks which are vital for career advancement in the academy. Highlighting [such] existing oppressive and marginalised structures is important in repairing visible cracks in the broken pipeline for future for Black racially minoritised students and Early Career Researchers (ECRs) seeking legitimate status in academia (Williams et al, 2019).
Barbara’s chapter is a powerful reminder that there is far more than just getting through the PhD. It is about battling systemic forces that constantly question your worth and your place. It is about finding strength in the spaces that are not made for you, about claiming space where there is none, and making sure your representative voice is heard. The idea of a ‘broken pipeline’ is not a theoretical concept—it is a truth deeply felt by those who are excluded, ignored, or made to feel like they don’t belong.
Access the book here: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-black-phd-student-experience