With partial funding from the Academy of Social Sciences Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Grants Scheme, the DSA convened a series of regional workshops with racially-minoritised early career researchers (ECRs) working in development studies across the UK. Over 60 participants from more than 35 institutions took part. The findings are presented in a new report that speaks directly to senior academic leaders. Participants from the workshops were also invited to contribute a blog to share their perspective on the issues raised.

By Jekoniya Chitereka, Visiting Research Fellow, School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds

I remember sitting in the workshop room at King’s College London in September 2025 after a long journey in a coach from the North thinking ‘had I known about this platform earlier’ and I believe everyone in the room had that same contemplation. We were sitting discussing about funding, securing a position in the changing higher education landscape, career transitions, , and  publishing, all the daily ponderables that early career researchers are supposed to be quietly competent at. As people started talking, it became apparent that many of us were carrying the same mixed baggage of anxiety, fatigue, and low-level frustration. That realisation and some ‘comfort’, more than any specific advice, is what stayed with me after attending two workshops for racially minoritised Early Career Researchers (ECRs): Career Transitions & Research Funding and Publishing and Visibility  organised by the Development Studies Association in 2025.

Both workshops were framed around support, but what they really offered was recognition and a sanctuary to me. Not the glossy institutional kind of picture always portrayed, but the practical recognition of what it feels like to try to build an academic career while being racially minoritised especially in development studies, where questions of power and inequality are central to the work, but not always to the workplace.

The session on career transitions and funding surfaced something I don’t think we talk about enough: how unclear the rules of the game often feel. We hear a lot about “trajectory”, “fit”, and “promise”, but much less about how unevenly these ideas are applied. For many ECRs and more so if racially and minoritised, transitions are rarely smooth or linear. They’re shaped by short-term contracts, caring responsibilities, visa precarity, and the emotional labour of sometimes being “the only one” in a department or project. Funding advice is useful on how to frame a project, how to signal leadership however, it also comes with the unspoken demand to present ourselves into something recognisable to panels that may not share our experiences or priorities.

During the discussions, I noticed how careful people were(including myself) when they spoke. Even in a supportive space where we even agreed not to record the conversations, there was a sense of weighing things up: Is this too honest? Is this too radical? Will this sound ungrateful? That, in itself, felt telling. It rang in my mind that Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)  work is not just about creating access to opportunities, but about whether people feel safe and confident enough to admit uncertainty.

The workshop on publishing and visibility brought up a different, but related tension. We’re often advised that the solution is to be more visible: publish more, network harder, build a profile. But visibility isn’t neutral given the current global geopolitical upheavals. For racially minoritised scholars, being visible can mean being hyper-visible, over-exposed, over-asked, and sometimes reduced to a narrow version of ourselves. Several people spoke about being invited onto panels or special issues, while still struggling to get proper mentorship, secure contracts, or time to write.

What I appreciated was that the workshop didn’t pretend visibility is always empowering. It acknowledged the risks, the importance of still playing by the ‘rules’ and the fact that saying “no” can be an act of self-preservation. That felt important. Too often, EDI conversations focus on fixing individuals helping them become more strategic, tolerant, more confident  rather than questioning the structures and systems that make constant self-promotion feel necessary in the first place.

For me, the most valuable part of both workshops was the collective aspect. There was relief in hearing other people articulate things I had assumed were my personal shortcomings: feeling behind, not so confident, imposter syndrome, feeling unsure, feeling tired of having to justify the value of our work. These weren’t failures of resilience; they were reasonable responses to precarious systems.

I didn’t walk out of either session with a solid plan or some sudden wave of confidence. What I did walk away with was something a lot messier: the sense that it’s okay to sit in the uncertainty for a while and that, it doesn’t mean I’m doing academia wrong. It’s just part of how this whole thing works. I also left thinking about the role of spaces like these within organisations and not forgetting how important this programme created by DSA was and of course the innovative partial funding on the costs to attend these workshops  helped most of us especially during these times of tight finances  in most institutions.

EDI initiatives matter not because they offer perfect solutions, but because they create moments where people can speak with some honesty, compare notes, and realise they are not alone.I’m still working out how to navigate funding, publishing, and visibility without losing myself in the process. I don’t have neat conclusions. But I do know that conversations like these, grounded, uncomfortable, and unfinished are essential if EDI is going to be about more than statements and strategies.

By Jekoniya Chitereka, Visiting Research Fellow, School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds

Note:  This article gives the views of the author/academic featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the Development Studies Association as a whole.