Approaches to understanding the reproduction of race inequality in education

Inaugural lecture: Professor Charlotte Chadderton

Structural and poststructural approaches to understanding the reproduction of race inequality in education: critical race theory, white privilege and racialised subjectivation.

Throughout her career, Professor Charlotte Chadderton has researched how racial inequalities are produced and reproduced in education. This inaugural lecture reflected on some of her past projects which demonstrate the different and complex ways in which race inequality operates in education and will make some suggestions for challenging it in educational spaces.

Professor Chadderton considered various theoretical approaches she has drawn upon, adapted and developed, to enable us to better understand and potentially challenge the reproduction of racial disadvantage and privilege in education. Through a range of examples from her work, in areas such as militarisation in education, vocational education, career education, education for refugees and schooling in the pandemic, she argued that an understanding of the different ways that race functions as a structure, a norm and a subjectifier in education policy and practice, can provide spaces for us to work towards increased social justice.

Professor Charlotte Chadderton

Professor Charlotte Chadderton is Professor of Education in the Institute of Education - College of Arts and Humanities. Before working at the University of Derby, she was a Professor of Education at Bath Spa University and a reader in education at the University of East London.

Professor Chadderton’s research focuses on the reproduction of inequalities in education with a particular focus on race (in)equality.