ABSTRACT
The apparent increased cultural diversity in higher education is posing questions about identities and power relations. This chapter provides us with the combination of a personal account in the form of a reflective autobiography and a report of lengthy discussions with black students about their experiences in higher education. Shirin Housee draws upon her own experiences as a student and lecturer, in both further and higher education, to ask questions about her own changing identity and to reflect upon her attempts, through curriculum choices and forms of pedagogy, to provide a supportive environment for black students. She highlights the myriad ways in which the legitimacy and credibility of black staff and black students is framed both by the power inherent in the role of lecturer and by certain shared histories and assumptions concerning racialised experiences.
