Overcoming objectification and dehumanisation in academia.

Abstract

This chapter is a critical reflection and analysis of being objectified and dehumanised as a Black female academic. Objectification and dehumanisation as the ‘other’ is a typical component of Black women’s raced and gendered experiences (Collins, 1986, 1989). Through critical reflective analysis I aim to highlight the role that objectification and dehumanisation play in maintaining our status as ‘others’ and keeping us on the periphery of academic life. Using Black feminist theory as a critical lens helps me make sense of my experiences through a unique standpoint of and for Black women that involves self-definition and self-valuation as tools of resistance (Collins, 1989). In this chapter I also highlight the role that community networking and sister relationships has played in supporting my survival and progress within academia.