You belong here? A case study into the role of belonging for tenured Black women faculty in a historically White higher education institution

Faculty of color remain underrepresented in colleges and universities in the United States. For women of color, specifically Black women, the intersectional dimensions of their race and gender can impede full participation in their postsecondary professional experiences. Even in educational institutions that have shifted from predominantly to historically White, tenured Black women faculty members still face obstacles to representation and inclusion. This qualitative case study utilizes semi-structured, in-depth interviews with tenured Black women faculty at one historically White public university to examine their perceptions of belonging within their institution. This study further explores how belongingness corresponds with Black women faculty members’ performance, retention, and advancement. The study’s findings indicate that Black women who hold tenured positions at historically White institutions face the simultaneous challenges of navigating intersecting struggles, defining their identities amidst perceptual complexity, and asserting their presence while maneuvering through power dynamics.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2023

Author dc:creator

• Booker, Marquita Moneak

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ward-Hood, Denice
• Huang, Wenhao D
• Kang, Hyun-Sook
• Mason, Curtis

• Black Women
• Tenure
• Intersectionality
• Belonging
• Higher Education
• Black Feminist Theory
• Critical Race Theory
• Predominately White Institutions
• Historically White Institutions
• Dominant White Institution

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2023 Marquita Booker

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/122153

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F122153