Ethnicity and Equal Opportunity in Higher Education in the 1900s: From Access to Pedagogy¹

In his review of ‘the sociology of higher education’ in the United Kingdom, Walford (1992) notes as follows:

More recently, he comments, research has

However, studies of the experiences of traditionally under-represented types of student and staff (see e.g. Bryan et al., 1985; Siraj-Blatchford, 1991; Thomas, 1990) remain relatively few. Indeed, despite an acknowledgement of the importance of this qualitative and interpretive focus, Walford's own programme for research in the sociology of higher education also tends to privilege the ‘access issue’ and even a ‘political arithmetic’ approach to it. For example, the first ‘strand’ of his research programme suggests a continuing focus upon questions such as: ‘Will loans be a greater disincentive to women and people from ethnic minorities than to white men?’ Further he urges that, ‘there needs to be close monitoring of the social, ethnic and gender composition of subject areas and institutions…’ (p. 197). This research preoccupation with access to higher education is curious, especially when considered in the light of developments in the sociology of education since the 1970s, the development of specific strategies to challenge educational inequality and debates about equality of opportunity more widely.