Institutional racism at the university and consequences in the lives of Black students: a mixed study

Abstract

This article aimed to analyze how institutional racism at a Brazilian public university affects the lives of Black students. This mixed study was developed by applying an online self-administered questionnaire to university students who self-declared as Blacks. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis using chi-square, and multinomial logistic regression. Qualitative data analysis was performed using IRAMUTEQ. Sixty-eight (54.4%) of the 125 respondents claimed to have suffered racism at least once within the university. We noticed that racist situations experienced by Black people within the university environment call into question the student’s self-confidence and motivation, directly affecting their mental health and performance in the course. The importance of receptive groups for strengthening students’ belonging was highlighted.

Key words:
Racism; University education; Black population; Students