Experience Decolonising across disciplines in postgraduate research and supervision: Breaking Double-Fold Barriers: Navigating the Academic World as a Person of Color and Lower-Caste Individual from India in the UK

Summary: In this presentation, I will recount my personal experiences of navigating the academic world in the UK as a person of color and belonging to the lower-caste community from India. I will discuss the double-fold discrimination I faced, as someone from a marginalized community in India and a student of color in the UK. I will delve into the challenges I encountered, including limited access to resources, networking opportunities, and instances of microaggressions and discrimination, and how these barriers impacted my academic journey, mental health, and sense of belonging. Furthermore, I will explore the potential for decolonizing academic practices to create more inclusive and equitable environments that better serve individuals from marginalized communities. Through examples of decolonizing practices and interventions, I will highlight how these efforts can help bridge the gap between students from marginalized backgrounds and the academic world. Ultimately, my aim is to shed light on the ways in which institutional structures can perpetuate exclusionary and oppressive practices, particularly for those from marginalized communities. I emphasize the importance of recognizing and addressing these obstacles in creating a more just and equitable academic space that benefits all members of the academic community.