Edge Hill University<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This study explores Black Caribbean male students\u2019 engagement with GCSE literature in England. It closely examines literature as an academic subject as well as a tool for self-discovery, empowerment and resistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Historically labelled \u201ceducationally subnormal\u201d, Black Caribbean boys have faced systemic barriers in education (Griffin, 2000), and their progression to higher education remains below the national average (DfE, 2023; OfS, 2023). Despite efforts to diversify the curriculum GCSE texts continue to reinforce colonial ideologies, depicting Blackness \u2013 particularly Black maleness, through violent or subhuman stereotypes (Eliott et al., 2021). This study challenges deficit narratives that frame Black Caribbean male students as disengaged underachievers (Joseph-Salisbury, 2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Guided by Critical Race Theory (Delgado and Stefancic, 2017), this research explores the intersections of race, gender and class, uncovering the relationship between educational structures and inequalities. The study centres on participatory narrative interviews, enhanced by multimodal activities (Woolhouse, 2017) conducted in a cultural heterotopic space (Foucault, 1986). Through the environment cultivated during data collection, literature emerges as both a site of oppression and a space for resistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Findings indicate that canonical texts prompt students to reflect on identity, duality and systemic injustice, resonating with Du Bois\u2019 (1903) concept of double consciousness. These reflections empower students to challenge dominant narratives and reimagine themselves beyond imposed limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This study therefore underscores the need for a more inclusive curriculum that validates lived experiences. Literature, when taught critically, becomes a mirror and lens \u2014 fostering belonging, agency and transformation for marginalised students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
References<\/p>\n\n\n\n