When the Law School Doesn’t Feel Like Home

What is it about?

This article examines how Black students experience “racialised unbelonging” in UK law schools, arguing that these institutions often fail to feel like spaces where they can fully belong. It begins by explaining that race is a social construct shaped by histories of colonialism and slavery, which continue to influence contemporary education and society. The article shows that law schools can reproduce exclusion through multiple pathways, including curriculum content, classroom practices, and institutional culture. Legal education often neglects the historical relationship between law, empire, and racism, leaving students feeling alienated and unable to see their experiences reflected or understood. It also critiques common responses such as diversity and representation initiatives, arguing that these measures are often superficial because they do not address the structural and epistemic roots of exclusion. Instead of solving the problem, they may simply try to fit marginalised students into a system that remains unchanged. The article proposes decolonisation as a more meaningful framework for addressing unbelonging, calling for deeper transformation in teaching, research, and institutional priorities. Ultimately, it argues that universities should not expect students to adapt to existing structures, but must instead reimagine themselves as inclusive spaces capable of supporting the flourishing of all students.

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Photo by Suad Kamardeen on Unsplash

Photo by Suad Kamardeen on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This article is important because it shifts the conversation from diversity to structural injustice. Instead of asking why Black students don’t “fit in,” it asks why law schools are structured in ways that produce exclusion in the first place. It matters because: It exposes hidden inequalities The article shows how curriculum, teaching methods, and institutional practices can reproduce racial injustice, even when universities claim to promote inclusion. It challenges superficial solutions It critiques diversity and representation initiatives that do not address deeper historical and epistemic issues, showing why these efforts often fail to create real change. It connects education to colonial history By linking law schools to histories of empire and racialisation, it helps explain why inequality persists in the present. It offers a pathway forward The focus on decolonisation encourages more meaningful transformation in legal education, pushing institutions to rethink their purpose and practices. Ultimately, the article is important because it asks a fundamental question: who is the university really for, and what would it take to make it a space where everyone can truly belong?