Dr Yarong Xie is Research Fellow (University of Edinburgh’s Historical Links to African Enslavement and Colonialism) at IASH from 2022 to 2024.
I joined IASH in October 2022 to take on a research fellowship, which is part of the University of Edinburgh's commitment to begin a bold decolonization and reparatory justice programme dedicated to looking at ‘Issues of race, contemporary racism, Eurocentric and Afriphobic aspects of our curriculum and features of the University’s history’. Led by Professor Tommy Curry and Dr Nicola Frith, the research project looks into the University's historical links to colonialism and African slavery, and its institutional legacies today.
With a background in psychology, I am contributing to this project by gaining an understanding of the racial climate on campus at present. Working with Professor Nasar Meer, we are implementing two survey studies. One measures people's racial prejudice and attitude toward the Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) community. The other examines people's (of the BAME community) experiences of racism while pursuing their higher education and/or career in the University.
People’s experiences of racism have been the focal point of my undergraduate and PhD research. My interest and commitment to tackling racism is ‘inspired’, unfortunately, by my personal and close friends' experiences of racial abuse. I am very honoured to be involved in this project, yet at the same time am aware of the weight on my shoulders! As a research fellow and a social scientist, I hope my humble input will be able to spotlight the prominence of race troubles in the University and the urgency to achieve racial equality. As a member of a minoritized community, I will continue to believe that equality is worth fighting for, and that we will get there.
Header image credit: Mama Africa by Nothando Grace Montgomery, Zimbabwean Artist www.thandie.art. All rights reserved. Image courtesy of Samantha Likonde.