Racially Minoritised Academics (RMAs) hierarchy of needs in UK universities

This qualitative study draws on Foucault’s (2000) concept of heterotopia, representative of types of cultural, institutional, and complex discursive spaces, otherwise viewed as a ‘world within a world’. In alignment with Read’s (2023) principles on heterotopia, and the social precarity of academic contracts in Higher Education (HE), the study views HE as a complex, cultural counter-space which thrives on unequal practices in the motivation and promotion of Racially Minoritised Academic (RMA’s) Trailblazers. The study contributes to new knowledge to the field of motivational theory, following an evaluation of existing philosophies. Key concepts extracted from Blackfoot (Siksika) Nation’s community model of Needs (Ravilochan, 2021) form the basis of a revised model relevant to the needs of RMAs and acknowledges the influence on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs framework (1943). Thematic analysis interrogates the themes extracted from semi-structured interviews (Braun and Clarke’s, 2006) on a range of pertinent issues around participant’s wellbeing, highlighting their emotional and psychological needs as academics in HE. The research tackles practical issues on resilience and survival experienced by the RMA Trailblazers. The poster presentation invites the audience to ask questions on their needs and how a revised framework might be applied within diverse Higher Education contexts.