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Black in the Ivory Tower: The Subversiveness of Black Women at Lund University

Mertala, Elsa LU (2022) TKAM02 20221
Division of Ethnology
Abstract
In Sweden the research about Black people’s experiences in academia is quite limited, because of a self-image that is colourblind which prevents the acknowledgement of Black existence (practice, thought, bodies). This thesis is a cultural analytical attempt to contribute and widen the research field of critical studies in Swedish academia, through exploring Black female’s emotional and body experiences in the spatiotemporal space of Lund University. More particularly, this thesis is built around fieldwork and six participants that either work or study the university. Furthermore, theories of orientation and Narratives are applied; by doing so it examines Black women’s geographies via past, present, and future. Deploying a Black feminist... (More)
In Sweden the research about Black people’s experiences in academia is quite limited, because of a self-image that is colourblind which prevents the acknowledgement of Black existence (practice, thought, bodies). This thesis is a cultural analytical attempt to contribute and widen the research field of critical studies in Swedish academia, through exploring Black female’s emotional and body experiences in the spatiotemporal space of Lund University. More particularly, this thesis is built around fieldwork and six participants that either work or study the university. Furthermore, theories of orientation and Narratives are applied; by doing so it examines Black women’s geographies via past, present, and future. Deploying a Black feminist lens on Black women’s accounts, the thesis argues that their mere existence is a subversive practice in the academy. The use of queer phenomenology and Black feminist theory make the negotiation Black women endure in Swedish academia visible.

Meanwhile, according to previous research, conditions stemming from colonial structures and Swedish exceptionalism, try to uphold the Ivory Tower as it is, thus (in)directly control the practices, thoughts, and bodies of Black women. Under these conditions, the participants orient towards the possibilities of a community. Where even the smallest (non)-verbal dialogues could make them feel less lonely and validate Black existence. Moreover, Black women are forced into the margins as their bodies could be a threat to the social order in Swedish academia. To acknowledge these structures, this thesis suggests a form of shared burden to not only talk about marginalised groups in academia but also talk about institutionalized Whiteness in the space. To get a deeper understanding of how bodies are oriented in academic settings. Furthermore, this thesis advocates for further research on this subject to continue to widen the field of critical studies in the Swedish academy. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
I Sverige har forskningen om svartas upplevelser i akademin varit begränsade, på grund av en självbild som är färgblind och som förhindrar erkännandet av svartas existens (praktik, tanke, kroppar). Denna studie är ett kulturanalytiskt försök att kunna bidra och bredda forskningsfältet för kritiska studier i den svenska akademin, genom att utforska svarta kvinnors känslomässiga och kroppsliga upplevelser i Lunds universitets spatiotemporala rum. Studien bygger mer specifikt på fältarbete och sex deltagare som arbetar eller studerar vid universitetet. Vidare, så tillämpas teorier om orientering och Narrativ; således kan svarta kvinnors geografier via dåtid, nutid och framtid undersökas. Genom att använda en svart feministisk lins på svarta... (More)
I Sverige har forskningen om svartas upplevelser i akademin varit begränsade, på grund av en självbild som är färgblind och som förhindrar erkännandet av svartas existens (praktik, tanke, kroppar). Denna studie är ett kulturanalytiskt försök att kunna bidra och bredda forskningsfältet för kritiska studier i den svenska akademin, genom att utforska svarta kvinnors känslomässiga och kroppsliga upplevelser i Lunds universitets spatiotemporala rum. Studien bygger mer specifikt på fältarbete och sex deltagare som arbetar eller studerar vid universitetet. Vidare, så tillämpas teorier om orientering och Narrativ; således kan svarta kvinnors geografier via dåtid, nutid och framtid undersökas. Genom att använda en svart feministisk lins på svarta kvinnors berättelser, hävdar studien att svarta kvinnors existens är en subversiv praxis i akademin. Användningen av queer fenomenologi och svart feministisk teori synliggör den förhandling som svarta kvinnor utsätts för i svensk akademi.

Tidigare forskning menar att villkor som härrör från koloniala strukturer och svensk exceptionalism försöker upprätthålla ’the Ivory Tower’ som det är, och på så sätt (in)direkt kontrollera svarta kvinnors praktiker, tankar och kroppar. Under dessa villkor, orienterar deltagarna mot en sorts gemenskap. Där även de minsta (icke)verbala dialogerna kan få dem att känna sig mindre ensamma samt bekräfta svart existens. Vidare, tvingas svarta kvinnor ut i periferin eftersom deras kroppar kan vara ett hot mot samhällsordningen i svensk akademi. För att erkänna dessa strukturer föreslår denna studie en form av delad börda, alltså att inte bara tala om marginaliserade grupper i akademin utan också tala om institutionaliserad vithet i rummet. Detta för att få en djupare förståelse för hur kroppar är orienterade i akademiska miljöer. Följaktligen förespråkar denna studie för ytterligare forskning inom det här ämnet för att fortsätta att bredda fältet för kritiska studier i den svenska akademin. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Mertala, Elsa LU
supervisor
organization
course
TKAM02 20221
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Academia, Black women, labour, subversiveness, Lund University, Swedish Exceptionalism, Akademin, svarta kvinnor, arbete, subversiv, Lund universitet, svensk exceptionalism
language
English
id
9100446
date added to LUP
2022-09-23 09:00:22
date last changed
2022-09-23 09:00:22
@misc{9100446,
  abstract     = {{In Sweden the research about Black people’s experiences in academia is quite limited, because of a self-image that is colourblind which prevents the acknowledgement of Black existence (practice, thought, bodies). This thesis is a cultural analytical attempt to contribute and widen the research field of critical studies in Swedish academia, through exploring Black female’s emotional and body experiences in the spatiotemporal space of Lund University. More particularly, this thesis is built around fieldwork and six participants that either work or study the university. Furthermore, theories of orientation and Narratives are applied; by doing so it examines Black women’s geographies via past, present, and future. Deploying a Black feminist lens on Black women’s accounts, the thesis argues that their mere existence is a subversive practice in the academy. The use of queer phenomenology and Black feminist theory make the negotiation Black women endure in Swedish academia visible.

Meanwhile, according to previous research, conditions stemming from colonial structures and Swedish exceptionalism, try to uphold the Ivory Tower as it is, thus (in)directly control the practices, thoughts, and bodies of Black women. Under these conditions, the participants orient towards the possibilities of a community. Where even the smallest (non)-verbal dialogues could make them feel less lonely and validate Black existence. Moreover, Black women are forced into the margins as their bodies could be a threat to the social order in Swedish academia. To acknowledge these structures, this thesis suggests a form of shared burden to not only talk about marginalised groups in academia but also talk about institutionalized Whiteness in the space. To get a deeper understanding of how bodies are oriented in academic settings. Furthermore, this thesis advocates for further research on this subject to continue to widen the field of critical studies in the Swedish academy.}},
  author       = {{Mertala, Elsa}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Black in the Ivory Tower: The Subversiveness of Black Women at Lund University}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}