Unequal Academy: The Struggle and Challenges of Token Black Academics in the UK

In this study, we tackle the underexplored issue of racial inclusion for Black academics in UK universities, thus exposing the harsh reality of ‘tokenism’. We amplify the voices of these academics and thereby reveal the disturbing prevalence of tokenism within UK higher education institutions. Drawing on organisational justice theory, we leverage a mixed-methods approach (24 interviews and 201 questionnaires) to examine their lived experiences, perceptions of belonging, interpretations of fairness within academia, and the roadblocks hindering their career progression. We uncover evidence of covert racism, the pressure to outperform non-Black colleagues, and epistemic injustice – the invalidation of their knowledge contributions. Interestingly, work prejudice and discrimination are not found to be associated with gender or work mode but rather with citizenship status. Our respondents, all British academics, report higher fairness perceptions, while non-British academics face greater discrimination. Our findings highlight the crucial role of procedural and distributive justice in mitigating prejudice in the workplace for Black academics, underlining the importance of residency status in human resources practices. This research strengthens organisational justice theory and calls for interventions promoting racial equity within UK universities. Our research demonstrates the detrimental impact of tokenism and highlights how it perpetuates racial disadvantages and prevents Black academics from achieving true equality within their institutions.