Attainment gaps and the higher education vocational and academic divide: The role of cultural studies in relation to ethnic minority and class intersectional factors

This chapter discusses an academic attainment gap in British art colleges among ethnic minority students in relation to structural factors of social inequality, particularly class and financial factors. Drawing on cultural and educational studies and critical race theory, I focus on the intersectional nature of class, race and gender and their impact on social practices of education. In discussing this issue I borrow the notion of ‘invisible pedagogies’ (pedagogies that overlook structural inequalities), relating it to critical race theory examinations of affinity biases and stereotype threats (the process through which subjects may be pressured into conforming to stereotypes about their social group) within the context of higher education. The paper contributes to the debate on relations between HE and ideals of inclusion. Inclusivity is intended here as a key target of a progressive university, measurable ‘in terms of what can be delivered to those who are excluded’, i.e., as a vital target to any educational reform .