Who is worthy of a place on these walls? Postgraduate students, UK universities, and institutional racism

This commentary provides insights from a study with black and minority ethnic postgraduate students at London-based universities. The study entailed focus groups, photovoice, and in-depth interviews. Drawing on this data, and influenced by the work of Yuval-Davis, it is argued that black and minority ethnic postgraduate students often feel “out of place” in British universities because they find themselves in spaces calibrated to maintain white supremacy. I conclude that, as geographers, we are potentially ideally placed to interrogate these spaces and counteract their perpetuation of racism. We should do so as part of a sustained and critical reflection of our own disciplinary structures and praxis. Geographers might therefore help to foster a higher education landscape where black and minority ethnic postgraduate students are not only more visibly present in British universities but also feel that they belong and can flourish in them.