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All of the collaborators responsible for this guide are white. We benefit from the white supremacy and suppression maintained in publishing practices and academic values outlined in this guide. There are limits and hidden biases at work that stem from our privileges and perspectives. We have attempted to bring together relevant resources highlighting perspectives from scholars who are Black, Indigenous, non-Black People of Color (BIPOC), LGBT folks, people who have disabilities, and all marginalized genders. This is not an all-encompassing list of experiences. We welcome feedback and suggestions for the guide, particularly from the perspectives and experiences of people who experience this type of oppression and members of the GMU community.
And we would like to thank and acknowledge the University of Denver University Libraries for their disclaimer that guided us. https://libguides.du.edu/antiracist
The voices of scholars who are Black, Indigenous, non-Black People of Color (BIPOC), members of the LGBTQIA2+ community, people who have disabilities, and all marginalized genders have all been suppressed in the United States and globally throughout history. Systemic barriers excluded these groups from receiving the education needed to become published scholars. For example, Jim Crow laws excluded many Black people from attending universities and kept them from being able to publish scholarly works (Forde & Bedingfield, 2021). Likewise, the scientific contributions of women of all backgrounds were hidden in footnotes of scholarship or left unnamed for many decades, which became known as “The Matilda Effect.” Although they provided significant contributions to the advancement of science, engineering, mathematics, technology, and medicine, these women were not given credit for their expertise and left out of the literature, both scholarly and historical (Rossiter, 1993).
We acknowledge that countries other than the United States have different communities who have been historically marginalized or similar communities who have been marginalized in diverse ways. It is important to examine the context of the country in which you are researching and the countries in which the scholars conduct their research and publish their findings.
Many historic issues continue today and manifest in less obvious ways. More individuals are finding places in higher education, but scholarly publishing has not reached the same level of inclusion. This lack of diversity of authors has many effects on the breadth and depth of literature across disciplines.
For example, a scarcity of research participants of color may be symptomatic of a scarcity of scholarship of color, which may itself be symptomatic of a scarcity of editors of color. Thus, an important question is whether a lack of racial diversity among editors and authors has systemic implications for what and who is included in the permanent scientific record (Roberts et al., 2020).
For those voices that have not been completely erased, they have often been suppressed or buried too far for many students to easily find when doing research. In this Subject Guide, we present tactics for locating and highlighting these voices.
Forde, K.R. & Bedingfield, S. (Eds.). (2021). Journalism and Jim Crow: White Supremacy and the Black Struggle for a New America. University of Illinois Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/j.ctv23r3fz8
Rossiter, M. W. (1993). The Matthew Matilda Effect in Science. Social Studies of Science, 23(2), 325–341.
Roberts, S. O., Bareket-Shavit, C., Dollins, F. A., Goldie, P. D., & Mortenson, E. (2020). Racial Inequality in Psychological Research: Trends of the Past and Recommendations for the Future. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15(6), 1295–1309. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620927709
Solórzano, D. G., & Yosso, T. J. (2002). Critical Race Methodology: Counter-Storytelling as an Analytical Framework for Education Research. Qualitative Inquiry, 8(1), 22.
A survey by Lee & Low Books found that of publishing staff, review journal staff, and literary agents 76% are white, 74% are cis women, 81% identify as straight or heterosexual, and 89% were people without disabilities.
As you are doing research and using this guide consider this piece of advice from Solórzano and Yosso: “We continually ask, ‘Whose stories are privileged in educational contexts and whose stories are distorted and silenced?’” (pg.36)
Diversity in its most simple form can be defined as “all the similarities and differences amongst people.” In other words, it’s a combination of all the characteristics that make us individuals such as age, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, disability, military experience, and socio-economic background; ideas, attitudes, beliefs, educational background, perspectives, values, and so on. A culture of diversity embodies understanding ourselves and each other, moving beyond tolerance to acceptance, and wholly embracing the richness of each individual.
Inclusion is the active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity- both within and outside the curriculum, and in communities (intellectual, social, cultural, geographical) where which individuals might connect in ways that increase awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathetic understanding of the complex ways individuals interact within systems and units.
Equality is about sameness or uniformity while equity addresses universal fairness. When systems are built on equality, they assume that everyone is starting from the same point. Equity assures conditions for optimal access and opportunity for all people, with particular focus on promoting policies, practices and procedures that do not advantage one group of people over others.
"In this video, Anthony describes how his collaborations with scientists from a variety of backgrounds influenced and improved his research in the Amazon rainforest. You’ll hear about how the diverse perspectives of scientists from different disciplines, cultures, personal experiences, and interests can work together to benefit scientific understanding."
Privilege and publishing are intrinsically tied. This video from the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver explains privilege.
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