Reimagining equality in EU higher education and research policies: insights from Black feminism

Abstract

This article critically examines the European Union’s (EU) higher education and research (HE&R) policies from a Black feminist perspective that seeks transformative change. It employs an adapted Critical Frame Analysis (CFA) to understand current EU HE&R gender and race equality frames. These frameworks are then contrasted with a Black feminist perspective, based on the works of Philomena Essed, Akwugo Emejulu, and Nilma Lino Gomes, which identifies four inequality dimensions: access and representation, curriculum and research agendas, everyday discrimination, and equality as a democratic imperative. The findings reveal that EU HE&R policies fall short in addressing intersectional, structural, and institutionalized discrimination and the epistemic exclusion of marginalized groups, particularly the racially minoritized. The article argues that these policies reflect a colonial and race-evasive discourse, treating inequality as a numerical problem rather than a systemic issue rooted in gender and race power imbalances. By integrating a Black feminist framework to ‘reforest our imaginaries’ and expand EU equality frameworks, the study contributes to a decolonial critique of European universities and simultaneously advances feminist epistemic justice.