Decolonising the UK Doctoral Journey: Getting in, Getting by, and Getting On

The UK’s higher education community has consistently seen a call to decolonise research initiatives and practices. In response, some universities are attempting to decolonise their research and administrative structures. However, most of these structures and initiatives remain on the periphery of decolonising higher education debates. Moreover, the UK’s higher education is still heavily shaped by local and Eurocentric epistemologies and neocolonialism, which are restrictive and limit the progression of non-Western doctoral students. Therefore, to achieve the aims of decolonising knowledge formation and production, it is necessary to explore the experiences of international doctoral students and researchers from minoritised backgrounds. This chapter, through the lens of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), presents the lived experience of five international doctoral students from three Global South countries to explore key factors hindering the achievement of decolonising the doctoral journey. Using reflexive narrative storytelling methodology, the chapter reveals how international doctoral students navigate complex dynamics of their PhD journey as they engage with internalised colonial academic and social environments.