BAME Support

We welcome recent initiatives within Slavic and East European Studies to acknowledge and address issues such as the historic underrepresentation of BAME people among scholars and students in our field and the specific vulnerability of BAME people who travel in our region.

SSEES’s PhD Funding Opportunities include UCL Research Opportunity Scholarship (UCL- ROS), supporting BAME postgraduate research degree students for the UK-permanent residents. This scholarship is run in partnership with the Windsor Fellowship. The scheme offers full financial support and a skills development programme, both designed to promote academia as a more attractive career option. Please see ROS scholars testimonials to see how this scholarship has helped our community of ROS scholars. 

More information about race, ethnicity, and diversity in Slavic and Eastern European Studies can be found at:

• NYU Jordan Center Resources on Topics of Race and Racism in Russian Studies
• Wilson Center
• University of Pittsburgh CRESES Race in Focus series

More information about college-wide BAME initiatives can be found via the central Race Equality web pages where you will find information on UCL’s race equality charter; race equality steering group; BAME academic and professional mentoring schemes; BAME networks and societies; BAME attainment and information on how to report racial and xenophobic harassment. UCL SSEES operates a zero tolerance policy on any form of racial abuse or harassment. If you would like to report any instances of bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct, you can do so via UCL Report + Support. 

The UCL Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism and Racialisation explores the impact of racism - scientific, metaphysical and cultural. They regularly hold events on interesting subjects and release podcasts with interesting guests available on all streaming platforms. 

SSEES Society BAME Network

The SSEES Student Society has supported the development of the SSEES Society BAME Network as a subgroup of the Student Society. The Network is inspired by and will take lead from the work of the UCL Student’s Union Student Network. The network works to better represent the views of SSEES students who self-define as BAME, including but not limited to, students with African, Asian, Arab, Caribbean, and Indigenous heritages. All students, regardless of how they identify, are welcome to join the Network to learn more about how to support each other.  More information is available on SSEES Soc Instagram.

UCL’s First Generation Society

All students are welcome to access support provided by the UCL’s First Generation Society. This support network is for all students and alumni of the first generation in their family to enter higher education and ethnic minority students. They are helping to ensure the welfare of a portion of UCL’s student body that often feels marginalised and unwelcome. Their activity supports students through an online community, regular events (career, social and skills-focused) and they are working with UCL’s Widening Participation team in relation to support their interventions.They are also running mentoring and a buddy scheme programmes.