Magazine Articles and Blogposts (General)

Summary

All items listed in the REAL resource bank were suggested by research participants of the ‘Exploring Race and Ethnicity on Social Science Degree Programmes’ project, or colleagues at University of Brighton, as resources they had found useful in their own teaching. They are not intended as definitive recommendations from the project team, and readers should make their own judgements as to which items would be most useful and appropriate for their needs. Similarly, the short summaries of each listed item are meant as approximate indicators rather than comprehensive synopses and should act primarily as a starting point for further exploration.

BBC News (2016) ‘Why are people arguing about ‘Black Girl Magic’?’. BBC News, January 16.

The article explores the origins and debates around the phrase “Black Girl Magic”, examining how the term emerged to celebrate the excellence of Black women and girls, while also prompting discussion about whether such celebratory labels obscure structural inequalities, commodification, or stereotypes. It invites critical reflection on empowerment, representation and race.

Bizarro, S. (2020) ‘The doll test — racism and sexism’. Medium, April 14.

Sara Bizarro explains how the Clark Doll Test reveals that racism is socially constructed and internalised, with children preferring white dolls and rejecting brown ones. She critiques narrow definitions of racism, drawing on Appiah and Sheth to show how race—and similarly gender—is built through power, stereotypes, implicit bias, and institutional structures.

 Bland, A. (2020) ‘Edward Colston statue replaced by sculpture of Black Lives Matter protester Jen Reid’, The Guardian, July 15.

The article reports how a statue of a 17th‑century slave‑trader was replaced overnight by a sculpture of a Black Lives Matter protester in a spontaneous act of protest and public art in Bristol. The replacement was part of the broader discourse on monuments, memory and racial justice.

Butler, P. (2022) ‘Black and minority ethnic people in UK twice as likely to be in ‘deep poverty’’. The Guardian, October 6.

Patrick Butler reports that Black and minority ethnic people in the UK are over twice as likely as white people to experience deep poverty, exacerbated by rising living costs and historic social security cuts. The article highlights racial inequalities in income, fuel poverty, food insecurity, and the impact of policy interventions.

 Hibri, C. (2023) ‘Orientalism: Edward Said’s groundbreaking book explained’. The Conversation, February 12.

This article explores Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism, the Western portrayal of the Middle East and North Africa as exotic, inferior, and in need of saving. It examines how stereotypes persist in media, scholarship, and policy, shaping perceptions, justifying intervention, and influencing contemporary culture, law, and international relations.

Kibru, R. (2020) ‘Reflecting on Black History Month in the UK Parliament’. Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK, October 28.

Rahel Kibru reflects on Black History Month’s origins and its continuing urgency, as featured in UK Parliament debates. She highlights persistent gaps in representation and education, calling for Black British history to be embedded in the curriculum and for institutions of power to mirror the nation’s diversity—promoting justice, belonging, and democratic inclusion.

Matsuda, T. (2021) ‘It’s time to talk about ant-Asian racism in the UK’. Aljazeera, April 1.

Tom Matsuda highlights the sharp rise in anti-Asian racism during COVID-19, linking contemporary attacks to a long UK history of state-sanctioned exclusion and scapegoating. Matsuda argues that tackling this violence requires confronting historic roots while increasing East and Southeast Asian representation to counter persistent stereotypes and structural neglect.

 McIntosh, P. (1989) ‘White privilege: unpacking the invisible knapsack’. Peace and Freedom, July/August, pp. 10-12.

Peggy McIntosh explores the concept of white privilege through the metaphor of an “invisible knapsack” of unearned advantages carried by white people. She highlights how these privileges often go unnoticed and argues that recognizing them is essential for addressing systemic racism and promoting greater equity and social awareness.

 Okpokiri, C. (2020) ‘How racism complicates Black parenting’, The Conversation, June 22.    

This article explores how racism shapes Black parenting in Britain. Reporting on research with Black African parents, it reveals the constant fear and vigilance required to protect children from racial harm. The findings discussed highlight cultural misunderstandings by professionals, the necessity of “the talk,” and how Eurocentric parenting norms obscure Black parents’ realities.

Robinson, J.A. & Acemoglu, D. (2017) ‘The economic impact of colonialism’. VoxEU, January 30.

James Robinson and Daron Acemoglu argue that European colonialism reshaped global inequality by creating divergent institutional pathways. Their analysis shows how inclusive institutions fostered development in some colonies, while extractive systems entrenched poverty elsewhere. The authors highlight colonialism’s lasting relevance for understanding contemporary racialised economic disparities and global structural inequality.

Sweida-Metwally, S. (2022) ‘‘Muslim culture’ is routinely blamed for lower levels of employment – but my research shows this is not what is behind the problem’, The Conversation, August 22.

Samir Sweida-Metwally’s research shows that lower employment levels among British Muslims cannot be explained by “cultural norms.” Using a decade of national survey data, he finds no link between attitudes and unemployment. Instead, strong experimental evidence points to discrimination as a key driver of the “Muslim penalty,” with significant consequences for broader social inequality.

Ventour-Griffiths, T. (2024) ‘Black lives in the Stix: Caribbean Northants and decentring ‘Black London’ on screen, 1948–85’. Medium, June 6.

Tré Ventour-Griffiths explores postwar Black Caribbean life in Northamptonshire, 1948–1985, decentring the usual focus on London. Drawing on over 100 oral histories and archival sources, the article highlights local community formation, youth activism, cultural life, and resistance to racism, offering a nuanced account of Black experiences in provincial England for teaching and research.

Wade, P. (2025) ‘The history of the idea of race’. Britannica, October 24.

This article traces how the concept of race evolved from a vague 16^th-century classification to a rigid system used to justify colonialism, slavery, and inequality. He explains how economic pressures, law, science, and pseudoscience entrenched racial hierarchies, and how these ideas shaped Western societies despite later scientific evidence disproving biological races.

Zurcher, A. (2021) ‘Critical race theory: the concept dividing the US’. BBC News, July 22.

This article explains how Critical Race Theory (CRT) has become a highly divisive topic in the US. It outlines its academic roots in exploring systemic racism, the surge of political backlash, and the legal and educational battles over how race and history are taught.