Abstracts
Abstract
Through employing critical race theory, seen-invisibility, and circuits of dispossession as theoretical frames, this article complicates discourses around equity and Black student achievement by examining the underexplored experiences of high-achieving Black Canadian students in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Drawing on focus group data with four adolescent participants, the study finds that they experienced violent forms of racialization in their educational environments through a lack of physical, social, and intellectual space to exist as both Black and high-achieving. This rendered them persistently present due to their race, yet invisible in the perceptions of their intellect.
Central to this article is an articulation, unpacking, and thus granular analysis of the particular ways that racialization can operate within education systems to still marginalize Black students and erect complex barriers––even when they demonstrate strong academic performance. These emerging insights inform a need for a broader and more holistic understanding of Black Canadian student experiences and a rethinking of intervention and resistance strategies.
Keywords:
- Black students,
- racialization,
- high achievement,
- enrichment,
- belonging
Résumé
En utilisant la théorie critique de la race, l’invisibilité vue, et des circuits de dépossession comme cadres théoriques, cet article complique les discours sur l’équité et la réussite des étudiants noirs en examinant les expériences des étudiants Canadiens noirs qui sont très performants dans la région du Grand Toronto (RGT). S’appuyant sur des données de groupes de discussion avec quatre participants adolescents, l’étude révèle qu’ils ont subi des formes violentes de racialisation dans leurs environnements éducatifs en raison d’un manque d’espace physique, social, et intellectuel pour exister à la fois en tant que noirs et très performants. Cela les a rendus constamment présents en raison de leur race, mais invisibles dans les perceptions de leur intellect.
Au coeur de cet article se trouve une articulation, une explication, et donc une analyse granulaire des façons particulières dont la racialisation peut opérer au sein des systèmes éducatifs pour marginaliser encore les étudiants noirs et ériger des barrières complexes, même l’lorsqu’ils démontrent de bons résultats scolaires. Ces idées émergentes informent le besoin d’une compréhension plus large et plus holistique des expériences des étudiants noirs canadien et de repenser les stratégies d’intervention et de résistance.
Mots-clés :
- étudiants noirs,
- racialisation,
- haute réussite scolaire,
- enrichissement académique,
- l’appartenance
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Appendices
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