Representation and Social Justice in the Fine Art Subject Guide Bibliography
For the Action Research Project I plan to use an expanded CRT framework developed for the library and knowledge sector in ‘Knowledge justice: disrupting library and information studies through critical race theory’, by Leung and López-McKnight (2021) as a thematic framework to guide the outcome plans. I originally used this framework in my MSc Library Science dissertation in 2021 and have since been invited to ongoing talks about that research to NHS library and knowledge teams, developing interest in the framework for collections guidance.
There is a significant amount of discourse and writing about whiteness in librarianship (citations) focused ongoing low levels of diversity in library staffing (citations) and on the legacies of embedded white supremacism in underpinning structures such as classification schemes (cite) and subject headings (cite). The focus on both my own use of the CRT and the talks I have had with NHS teams has been on equipping librarians and library staff without personal lived experiences of being racially or ethnically minoritised, or with limited experiences of more expansive initiatives in decolonising information, with a checklist or series of start points for equity, diversity and inclusion work, particularly for structured approaches to collection management and development.
Here I will use the CRT framework to assess the outcomes and next steps emerging from this research project, to ensure I more fully explore the opportunity for change, and to challenge my initial interpretations of what is needed in a creative and educational context. My current experience of employing CRT to collections and resource work is STEM and healthcare focused. The framework of tenets will help me with the shift of focus from representation and equity from scientific accuracy for health justice, to visibility of representation for pedagogic and cultural inclusion.
In NHS contexts the social and non-biological basis of race, as evidenced by the Human Genome Project (cite), the opportunities for leveraging interest convergence in financially constrained and target driven environments, and understanding of counter-storytelling and voice in combatting hesitancies have been key areas of discussion and progress. A recent interview with Dr Malone Mukwende whose work underpinned my original research project reflects these areas of opportunity. I have been involved in several inclusion and diversity focused pieces of work since joining UAL but have not had an opportunity prior to this to attempt to translate the CRT framework in a creative and educational environment, and to assess which tenets prove appropriate here.
The CRT tenets, as listed by Leung & López-McKnight, and used both for may past research and in discussions with the NHS knowledge teams are as follows:
• Race as a social construct
• Racism is normal
• Experiences and knowledge of racially and ethnically minoritised people
• Intersectionality
• Interdisciplinary
• Critique of dominant ideologies
• Interest convergence
• Focus on historical contexts
• Counterstorytelling and voice
• Whiteness as property
References