Loosely Sutured: a reflective practice memoir of a ‘white' art educator’s journey into the impossibilities and possibilities of 'white' anti-racist research in art and design education.
This research is into the formation and disruption of racism, coloniality and whiteness in 'white' art educators, including those who identify as anti-racist such as the author. The researcher is a 'white' middle-class female art educator operating within an activist paradigm of...
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| Format: | Thesis (University of Nottingham only) |
| Language: | English |
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2025
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/80981/ |
| _version_ | 1848801283576692736 |
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| author | Trowell, Jane |
| author_facet | Trowell, Jane |
| author_sort | Trowell, Jane |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This research is into the formation and disruption of racism, coloniality and whiteness in 'white' art educators, including those who identify as anti-racist such as the author. The researcher is a 'white' middle-class female art educator operating within an activist paradigm of social justice practice in art and design education. The research was conducted in the UK during an era of heightened inequity, fuelled by populism, government-led racism and xenophobia, and draconian cuts across arts education in England from early years to higher education.
The thesis presents an eleven-year research journey that is itself disrupted, running aground four times. Irreconcilable whiteness ambushes the claims to anti-racist design and form for the thesis. Enquiry into these ambushes contributes to understandings of what it can take for 'white' art educators to 'inhabit critique' and maintain anti-racist practice 'with its lengthy duration' (Ahmed, 2004). Thus, the thesis takes the form of a reflective practice memoir that critically contextualises texts, imagery and events from the timeline of the journey, forming evidence towards understanding the ambushes.
The research is rooted in the provocation 'How does it feel to be a white problem?' (Yancy, 2015). Anti-racist 'white' people should 'remain un-sutured' and experience 'crisis' about the fact of their racism, while continuing to act against racism (2015, Yancy's hyphenation).
Parts 1 and 2 feature two 'fieldwork' journeys (with 'white' peers, with Black and global majority peers). Parts 3 and 4 feature two journeys seeking form (image-making, letter-writing). Each came to crisis and un-sutured. I conclude that ‘remaining un-sutured' is vital, yet could for many paralyse anti-racist action. I propose instead a 'loose suturing’ that leaves the 'white' person unable to conceal their racism to themselves, but able to strive towards anti-racist action. Being loosely sutured enabled the submission of this thesis. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T21:05:00Z |
| format | Thesis (University of Nottingham only) |
| id | nottingham-80981 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T21:05:00Z |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-809812025-08-19T09:58:08Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/80981/ Loosely Sutured: a reflective practice memoir of a ‘white' art educator’s journey into the impossibilities and possibilities of 'white' anti-racist research in art and design education. Trowell, Jane This research is into the formation and disruption of racism, coloniality and whiteness in 'white' art educators, including those who identify as anti-racist such as the author. The researcher is a 'white' middle-class female art educator operating within an activist paradigm of social justice practice in art and design education. The research was conducted in the UK during an era of heightened inequity, fuelled by populism, government-led racism and xenophobia, and draconian cuts across arts education in England from early years to higher education. The thesis presents an eleven-year research journey that is itself disrupted, running aground four times. Irreconcilable whiteness ambushes the claims to anti-racist design and form for the thesis. Enquiry into these ambushes contributes to understandings of what it can take for 'white' art educators to 'inhabit critique' and maintain anti-racist practice 'with its lengthy duration' (Ahmed, 2004). Thus, the thesis takes the form of a reflective practice memoir that critically contextualises texts, imagery and events from the timeline of the journey, forming evidence towards understanding the ambushes. The research is rooted in the provocation 'How does it feel to be a white problem?' (Yancy, 2015). Anti-racist 'white' people should 'remain un-sutured' and experience 'crisis' about the fact of their racism, while continuing to act against racism (2015, Yancy's hyphenation). Parts 1 and 2 feature two 'fieldwork' journeys (with 'white' peers, with Black and global majority peers). Parts 3 and 4 feature two journeys seeking form (image-making, letter-writing). Each came to crisis and un-sutured. I conclude that ‘remaining un-sutured' is vital, yet could for many paralyse anti-racist action. I propose instead a 'loose suturing’ that leaves the 'white' person unable to conceal their racism to themselves, but able to strive towards anti-racist action. Being loosely sutured enabled the submission of this thesis. 2025-07-26 Thesis (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en cc_by https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/80981/1/Jane_Trowell_14321780_PhD_thesis_final_2025.pdf Trowell, Jane (2025) Loosely Sutured: a reflective practice memoir of a ‘white' art educator’s journey into the impossibilities and possibilities of 'white' anti-racist research in art and design education. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham. art art education racism anti-racist art education whiteness white supremacy coloniality reflective practice memoir memoir England UK |
| spellingShingle | art art education racism anti-racist art education whiteness white supremacy coloniality reflective practice memoir memoir England UK Trowell, Jane Loosely Sutured: a reflective practice memoir of a ‘white' art educator’s journey into the impossibilities and possibilities of 'white' anti-racist research in art and design education. |
| title | Loosely Sutured: a reflective practice memoir of a ‘white' art educator’s journey into the impossibilities and possibilities of 'white' anti-racist research in art and design education. |
| title_full | Loosely Sutured: a reflective practice memoir of a ‘white' art educator’s journey into the impossibilities and possibilities of 'white' anti-racist research in art and design education. |
| title_fullStr | Loosely Sutured: a reflective practice memoir of a ‘white' art educator’s journey into the impossibilities and possibilities of 'white' anti-racist research in art and design education. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Loosely Sutured: a reflective practice memoir of a ‘white' art educator’s journey into the impossibilities and possibilities of 'white' anti-racist research in art and design education. |
| title_short | Loosely Sutured: a reflective practice memoir of a ‘white' art educator’s journey into the impossibilities and possibilities of 'white' anti-racist research in art and design education. |
| title_sort | loosely sutured: a reflective practice memoir of a ‘white' art educator’s journey into the impossibilities and possibilities of 'white' anti-racist research in art and design education. |
| topic | art art education racism anti-racist art education whiteness white supremacy coloniality reflective practice memoir memoir England UK |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/80981/ |