Minority Voices From the Academic Superstructure

Book excerpt: Minority Voices From the Academic Superstructure is a critical conversation that bases its argument on interviews with Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) faculty from across the United States and a range of institutions, including large public and private universities, small liberal arts colleges, and mid-size public institutions. Using critical race theory (CRT) and postcolonial studies as the central theoretical frameworks, and critical race feminism as a supporting critical paradigm, the authors bring to attention some of the persistent challenges that BIPOC faculty face even in the twenty-first century. The book builds on a now well-established scholarly tradition on faculty experiences in the academy to support the following argument: While many gains have been made, the vestiges of colonization—which critical race theorists continue to highlight as persisting in current systems—still render the present-day academy a challenging space for BIPOC faculty. Through the powerful stories of success and resolve shared by study participants, the authors show that colleges and universities represent enormous—if challenging—sites of opportunity where the goals of advancing greater racial, ethnic, and gender equality both within and beyond the ivory tower can be pursued. Minority Voices From the Academic Superstructure also explores the challenges BIPOC faculty and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives will likely face in a political environment that is increasingly hostile to such efforts. This book covers topics such as minorities in education, systemic racism, intersectionality, immigrant experience, gendered experiences in education, and is a useful resource for academicians, education professionals, administrators, sociologists, historians, economists, and researchers.