Around the world, vulnerable groups (black women, women, women of colour, non-white women, immigrants, refugees, foreign nationals, and intersections of these) are faced with challenges that negatively affect their everyday life. One of these challenges is typically a lack of safety due to racism, marginalisation, exclusion, stereotypes, labelling, out-casting and being more susceptible to incidences of danger and/or harm. This study is a comparative study that explores the experiences of vulnerable group researchers in academic spaces across Sweden and South Africa.

More specifically, the study compares vulnerable groups from Högskolan Väst (henceforthHV) in Sweden in the global north and from the University of the Western Cape (henceforth UWC) from South Africa in the global south. This comparison is framed through literature on safety, Work Integrated Learning (henceforth WIL), and vulnerable groups. With the aid of Critical Race Theory (henceforth CRT), a framework for analysis is developed around the concepts of overt racism, counter-storytelling, colour-blindness and micro-aggressions.

The research conducted in this project has found data that vulnerable group researchers are more susceptible to incidences of racial or xenophobic harm despite being in and around proposed safe institutions. The findings from the research speak to incidences of harm experienced in the classroom, in the university, with student researchers and with fellow students in both Sweden and South Africa.

The intentions that the findings have for WIL entail the need to make conscious considerations for the vulnerable group students it takes on and making their white counterparts aware of the safe environment that is needed. The findings show that if this is not done then vulnerable group students will be in a constant negative cycle of harm limiting them in their processes of learning and inclusion in the classroom, the university space, and the relations they have with their fellow students – this is inclusive of their respective internship hosts. This will in return allow vulnerable groups students to raise relative harmful issues that they experience and more.