Transforming the Ivory Tower: Challenging Racism, Sexism, and Homophobia in the Academy
Brett C. Stockdill and Mary Yu Danico
Abstract
People outside and within colleges and universities often view these institutions as fair and reasonable, far removed from the inequalities that afflict society in general. Despite greater numbers of women, working class people, and people of color—as well as increased visibility for LGBTQ students and staff—over the past fifty years, universities remain “ivory towers” that perpetuate institutionalized forms of sexism, classism, racism, and homophobia. This book builds on the rich legacy of historical struggles to open universities to dissenting voices and oppressed groups. Each chapter is gui ... More
People outside and within colleges and universities often view these institutions as fair and reasonable, far removed from the inequalities that afflict society in general. Despite greater numbers of women, working class people, and people of color—as well as increased visibility for LGBTQ students and staff—over the past fifty years, universities remain “ivory towers” that perpetuate institutionalized forms of sexism, classism, racism, and homophobia. This book builds on the rich legacy of historical struggles to open universities to dissenting voices and oppressed groups. Each chapter is guided by a commitment to praxis—the idea that theoretical understandings of inequality must be applied to concrete strategies for change. The common misconception that racism, sexism, and homophobia no longer plague university life heightens the difficulty to dismantle the interlocking forms of oppression that undergird the ivory tower. The book demonstrates that women, LGBTQ people, and people of color continue to face bias and discrimination on campuses throughout the United States. Curriculum and pedagogy, evaluation of scholarship, and the processes of tenure and promotion are all laden with inequities both blatant and covert. The chapters critically examining personal and collective struggles, and they analyze antiracist, feminist, and queer approaches to teaching and mentoring, research and writing, academic culture and practices, growth and development of disciplines, campus activism, university–community partnerships, and confronting privilege. The book offers a proactive approach encompassing institutional and cultural changes that foster respect, inclusion, and transformation.
Keywords:
U.S. college,
U.S. university,
LGBTQ,
sexism,
classism,
racism,
homophobia,
people of color,
discrimination,
bias
Bibliographic Information
Print publication date: 2012 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780824835262 |
Published to Hawaii Scholarship Online: November 2016 |
DOI:10.21313/hawaii/9780824835262.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
Brett C. Stockdill, editor
Northeastern Illinois University
Mary Yu Danico, editor
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
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