Striving and thriving:Students of color activating agency to negotiate place, position, and relevance at an elite U.S. independent school - PhDData

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Striving and thriving:Students of color activating agency to negotiate place, position, and relevance at an elite U.S. independent school

The thesis was published by Mayikana, Lusanda, in June 2023, University of Lancaster.

Abstract:

This thesis documents the self-perceptions of students of colour in their attempts to claim agency and navigate academic and social discourse in dominated spaces at a U.S. independent school. The study investigated the role played by racial and ethnic socialization as a form of cultural capital embodied by the students of colour in predominantly White U.S. independent schools. It is practitioner research that examines the capacity of students of colour to summon a complement of constructs to actualize their academic potential, navigate new social boundaries, and negotiate a sense of belonging. It argues that the students’ understanding of self as a socialised subjectivity allows them to engage in counter-storytelling and resistance to affirm the value of their voices and self-identity. This thesis seeks to contribute knowledge toward interrogating the colour-blind ideology embedded within the social structures of the American education system and sustains systemic racism and asymmetrical power dynamics. The study concludes by emphasizing the salience of an anti-racist framework in policy discussions to dismantle systemic inequalities in education.



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