What is the meaning of 'black'? Researching black respondents

Abstract

'Black' is a contested term. Its usage has attracted much academic debate. Issues of terminology are important as they produce real consequences for the lives of those using and/or who are subsumed within particular definitions. A study designed to explore the experiences of 'black' staff in further education provides the impetus for examining the impact of using generic terms such as 'black' on the data collection process and its significance for those subsumed under the category. The paper explores the implications of employing collective terminology in arriving at shared meanings and understandings. It highlights the ways in which the funders of the study and a group of prospective research institutions and participants constructed and in some instances resisted the term 'black'. This is also a reflexive account of some of the challenges and ethical conflicts encountered during the research process.