In line with the dialogical principles outlined, we observed shifts in the co-investigators’ reflexive questioning of their own experiences and relationships with their broader social contexts. From the outset, co-investigators began to recognise, particularly through their discussions of their experiences of racialisation, that these were not isolated or trivial matters to be dismissed, but rather deeply significant issues shaping their lives and sense of self. These early moments of recognition marked the beginning of a collective process of critical consciousness (conscientização), as students moved from viewing their experiences as personal problems toward understanding them as socially and structurally produced.
For this document, we engaged in a guided search for themes in relation to the impact that the culture circles had on participants. We paid special attention to the sessions and moments when we directly asked for feedback. These points of feedback provided valuable insight into how the dialogical process fostered not only deeper understanding but also a growing sense of agency, capacity for action, and collective meaning-making among the co-investigators.
1. Belonging: A space to speak and listen
Having a space to speak:
Students appreciated having a space where they could openly speak about their experiences, be heard, and understood by others. It ranged from feeling a sense of empowerment, feeling like not having the responsibility to start such conversations, and simply appreciating not being shut down when they speak (which when put this way seems like such a bare minimum).
“I think it’s interesting to get different perspectives, but also, like, in a very open space. Because sometimes this type of discussion, kind of, starts to happen in tutorials, and stuff, but it’s immediately shut down. I’m kind of, glad to, like, not to have that today.” – Kiara [Session 2]
Bella spoke about the impact of a dialogue activity we did in week 5. In this activity each person had a ball of woollen yarn that they could throw to the person they wanted to speak to. This created a network of wool threads (strings) between people, reflecting the interaction between them.
“it was really helpful when other people started conversations with me, because then I didn’t have to turn my string, and, like, because we were all being very vulnerable, like, it’s quite scary to start the dialogue, so that was really helpful.” – Bella [Session 6]
Having a space to listen:
The other side of being able to speak openly is also listening to others when they speak about themselves and their experiences. Students noted feeling curious about each others’ experiences, learning more about how different people experience similar racial encounters differently, how different people experience the world and structural oppression differently, and learning to dialogue with and invite different perspectives and holding a multiplicity of views instead of having a ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’ Holding such a space for others also made some of them feel confident that they, in turn, would receive such acceptance when they speak.
“also I got, like, different points of how people would response to the situation, like, fighting back or not. Um, I’m kind of learning new things and that also encouraged me to, like, have more, um, response” – Eris [Session 6]
“I enjoyed, like, bouncing my experiences off other people because I thought that, like, someone would say something and then I realised it had, like, unearthed something a bit more unconscious in me, and then I’d, like, have something, like, have thoughts on the same thing.” – Farah [Session 6]
“I think a lot of the dialogue that’s been happening just, like, triggers a lot of, like, curiosity and questions ‘cause, like […] everyone has different experiences so what I may think is not necessarily what another person would, so it just strikes a lot of curiosity” – Aliya [Session 8]
“I think one thing that…that was discussed in one of the sessions was, like, about people asking, like, oh, where are you really from? I think now I agree and I understand that that is offensive, I was just curious to see, like, what would be people consider, like, a respectful way of going about it, like how do you ask someone for their ethnicity but without, like, being offensive? ” – Aliya [Session 8]
“It was, er, very eye-opening to hear your guys’, erm, ideas of, er, coming from Asia. Because I, I spend a lot of time around, like, Chinese and Asian people, but I never really thought, or knew about the, the struggles you guys would come from, like, everyone being like, er, Asian, and then just coming here, and the majority being White. So, I, I think about that quite a lot, now.” – Helene [Session 8]
Listening to each other’s experiences also allowed students to find moments of resonance with each other and build a sense of belonging. This felt especially pertinent as students discussed feeling lonely and isolating in their experiences of racialisation and discrimination.
“I found it really good to speak with other people when we talk about performative activism and like how our cultures are treated, I feel like we could all relate to each other when we were, like, forming a little alliance when we could all feel seen.” – Bella [Session 6]
“I was really, like, touched by this activity, because like, although we are, like, from different backgrounds, having different, like, nationalities, and races, but we can still resonate with each other, and like, sharing the similar experiences, yeah.” – Jing [Session 8]
“…just respecting each other, and just, yeah, I just felt hopeful by attending these, erm, workshops.” – Erika [Session 8]
“I think that, just hearing everyone else’s experiences just makes me feel less isolated. Erm, especially like, in certain, like hearing other courses, and like, understanding that it’s not just law, that it’s like, very, kind of, erm, not very diverse. So, yeah, I think it’s quite comforting, like, to hear everyone else’s experiences. And also, kind of, erm, alarming as well, ’cause it’s, erm, like I feel like people had quite, erm, like there’s been quite a few, like, er, similar experiences, which, and like, patterns of experiences” – Luisa [Session 8]
2. Introspection and reflection: Recognising racialisation as a problem that needs to be addressed
Students not only noted the seriousness of their experiences but were able to make connections to the impact of systemic and structural forces that shape our everyday lives. They noticed their everyday responses to experiences of racialisation as they recognised and discussed the historical continuity of colonialism and its impact today.
“I think for me, it’s probably, erm, taking all the racism seriously. […] the majority of the Middle Easterns and Arabs that I’m surrounded by, we all take it with a grain of salt, like we all laugh at the jokes. And we know these people are being racist, but we just really take it with a grain of salt [laugh], like, we don’t really care that much. So, we really forget that it does matter […] we never really acknowledge how bad the day to day racism is. So, I think this, erm, is kind of like, really opening my eyes, that it’s actually a very serious problem.” – Aliya [Session 2]
“I just realised that, um, there is a part of myself that, like, accept, like, this social structure ‘cause, like, sometimes, like, I…when I, like, pass down the street, like, walk down the street and, like, some people are doing like this to me, or like doing, like, Asian discrimination thing, well, like, to be honest, I don’t, like, get hurt about that. So, like, I just find myself, like, accept this social, like, power structure and this…[laughs]…yeah, I just realised myself that, like, accepting this situation is not good, I think” – Kaya [Session 6]
“I just realised, like, it’s quite obvious in the UK that, like, social structure really, like, shaped our, like, individual studying experience” – Kaya [Session 8]
Such an experience of solidarity, belonging, and exposure to varied perspectives seemed to have facilitated students’ own introspective processes. They critically reflected on how theirs and others’ personal experiences can be understood in a wider social context. This involved reflecting on how they related to themselves and their identities and questioning their own assumptions. One student, for example, noted how looking back at her experiences from her first year, she may have internalised a ‘white gaze’ with expecting perfect English from herself and began questioning how she would have been instead if her environment had been more diverse.
“students that came from [East Asia], how they’re not used to, like, racism as everyone in [East Asia] is, like, [nationality] and, er, how when they moved here, they, like, instantly started, er, having, like, racial comments to them, and they weren’t used to it. And then, um, I felt like I could relate to this because, like, that’s my, like, ex…experience as well. But, um, it’s the fact that it was my everyday experience and it made me think a lot about different my life would be if I lived in a black country, like if I lived in [Caribbean], would I have a different viewpoint on the world or…?” – Helene [Session 6]
“I have a lot of internalised racism from living there, but when I was in [Caribbean], they were kind of also racist to me, but not racist but they had, like, confusion and everything, and no one could understand me because of my Scottish accent.” – Helene [Session 6]
“I would know if it’s…er, like, less men from diversity, just, er, like, more men they don’t want to talk to that because they don’t want to seem vulnerable or, I don’t know” – Jamal [Session 6] (He was questioning why he was the only male participant in the group, wondering why more men were not a part of this project).
“I think it was good, it gave me space to really reflect on, not just like, within me, not like, introspectively, but listening to, like, everyone else’s experiences too. And that helped me to reflect on my experiences, so much more, because I was in this doubting, unsure-ness, over the past, you know, four years, five years, erm, yeah.” – Erika [Session 8]
“I really agree, I do think that, like, before attending these sessions, I was almost a little bit ignorant when it came to, like, racism. Because I think, like, in my head, I’ll just go straight to like, oh like, Black people, when it’s like, actually, like, this university, all people of colour experience this. […] So I think it was really eye-opening hearing your guys’ experiences. ” – Luisa [Session 8]
Affective experiences as moments of change:
This happened in two ways: one, as seen above by learning to trust one’s own intuitive and embodied responses, and two, by being moved by others’ experiences. In a world that is so desensitised to others’ suffering, it felt meaningful that students engaged with one another affectively and further, the receiving of such affective responses seemed to contribute to the students’ own reflective journeys.
I think, I feel, I’ve, I’ve felt quite similar in my course, because it’s such a small course, but, and I’m the only, like, an East Asian student, or… in the previous years, at least. This year, I have, like, a few more people, erm, from East Asian countries. But, yeah, I definitely have that pressure on me that, you know, I didn’t say that, but I had that in me…that was affecting [me] – Erika [Session 2]
I think it’s genuinely so heartbreaking being a black person at school because you’re so isolated […] I think it’s just really prevalent in western countries and it’s really upsetting. – Aliya [Session 3]
There was a direct dialogue between Helene and Luisa in session 3, where Luisa reflected back to Helene how upsetting it was to hear her experience:
I’ve had a lot of comments. […] I’d always be, like, called messy, unprofessional, um, a guy, everyone, like, everyone in my life always thought I was a guy because I had an afro. And it’s, kind of sad, but I am thankful that I have a white name, because [Helene] is, like, I’d say it’s extremely white. And I always get it at job interviews, because it’s always a surprise – Helene [Session 3]
I think that’s pretty, like, upsetting to hear because I think that a lot of black women specifically, um, do struggle with the textureism, especially with, like, just, kind of, the texture of their hair. But, um, I also do feel like, um, it’s funny because, like, when I go back, when I go back home it’s, like, everyone just embraces that, embraces their hair. – Luisa [Session 3]
Co-investigators also spoke about the subtle way in which racism can appear and how that is registered bodily:
“in your heart, you kind of know, you know. […] I completely understand what you mean where it’s like, do I say something, and then, you know, because it’s a big accusation, you know, like, racial discrimination. But at the same time, I don’t know, you just, kind of, feel it.” – Luisa [Session 5]
“Yeah, that reminds me of something, I can’t identify, but I’ve definitely felt something similar where I’ve been asked, but it feels like I’m just talking to this void and not being listened.” – Erika [Session 8]
3. Empowered to respond (or starting to find a way to respond) to racist encounters and taking action:
An important part of Freirean methodology is for one’s critical consciousness to inspire them to take political action.
“Yeah, I don’t…oh, sorry, I don’t like other people to just discriminate…discriminate Asians, but, like, we know that Asian is, like, less…Asian has, like, less power than, like, other race…so, like, to be honest, we think we…maybe [inaudible 00:52], like, I think, like, I have nothing to do, I can’t, like, change the situation so I’m just gonna, okay” – Kaya [Session 6]
Aliya in response told her that she deserves to speak. That she can educate herself about her country and religion and speak back.
“So if you just, like, educate yourself about your own country and your own religion and whatever, it’s easier to fight back. It’s easier to embarrass them by educating them, making them look a bit stupid and foolish for not knowing basic knowledge, especially when when it comes to white people it’s, like, how are you saying these comments? Like you…you’re just…you colonised half the world anyway, so, like, by making them embarrassed for their own history kind of is a way of pushing back.” – Aliya [Session 6]
Yet, Aliya too recognised what Kaya was saying, that the discrimination she faced was in terms of being made fun of how she looks and how she felt she did not have the power to stand up and that is not simply because of education. Aliya did acknowledge that one must speak back only if one felt able to in the situation but was trying to encourage those who wanted to retort but held back.
It is also important to note how Kaya expressed this differing opinion while the entire group was speaking about standing up to racist encounters. For her to challenge the group from her own experience of being discriminated on the basis of her appearance, also felt like an important moment reflecting how co-investigators brought in differing opinions and had challenging conversations with one another.
Students further discussed how it can feel like a weight and a lot of responsibility to push back and to represent your culture/country, but on the other hand, it also does not feel as heavy because you are committed and you feel proud of representing your culture/country.
“Like, now I have this responsibility, I have to do something about this. I have to go and speak to this person and tell them off, even if I don’t want to do that at all and I’m actually scared, ‘cause I don’t want to speak…I don’t want to speak to this person. But you feel like that’s your battle that…that you have to fight, like you don’t have a choice. […] but now that I’ve grown up, like, I definitely agree, it’s almost like you take pride in representing your country.” – Luisa [Session 6]
Co-investigators critically reflected on how the idea of ‘learning our history’ as people of colour obscured the fact that this was not only ‘their’ history but the history of white people too.
“I will never forget one comment that stuck with me and made me feel incredibly empowered: ‘It’s not just my history; it’s your history too.’ I feel more freedom to be myself, take up space when needed, and voice my feelings despite how quiet I can be about my struggles.” – Bella [Session 8]
Bella, for example, moved from not wanting to pick sides in relation to her identity, and feeling reluctant to speak about race because of fearing how others might see her, to voicing her disappointment and struggles, recognising that people don’t want to hear the oppression you have experienced, acknowledging feeling connected, seen, more empowered, and naming that it’s your history too.
Finally, co-investigators also felt more motivated to share with other people their experiences and to start conversations about their experiences with race and difference:
“I think, to me, in a way that this, you know, attending these workshops, whenever I go back to my flat, sometimes I will, kind of, mention about it, like, oh today, I talked about this, I shared this. Did you know about, like, what do you think, have you ever felt a similar way. Because I live in this multicultural flat, and we actually sat down and talked about it. So, it just gave me, like, a good starting, a conversation starter to discuss stuff, so that was good.” – Erika [Session 8]
We also shared a critical consciousness questionnaire (administered in Session 1 and 8) with the co-investigators that showed a positive change in terms of political action in 6 out of the 10 students who filled both the questionnaires. While this may be an additional data point, we believe hearing from the students directly gives more context to the impact the methodology had on them, empowers students through the direct representation of their voices, and captures their involvement as co-investigators rather than just participants, and hence, we have included verbatim quotes in this report. The above words from the co-investigators offer a more comprehensive reflection of the ways in which they were taking up action in response to their experiences.
