The Department of Sociology Spring 2023 Colloquium Series Presents: Dr. Joya Misra

The Department of Sociology Spring 2023 Colloquium Series Presents: Dr. Joya Misra

On Wednesday, March 8, 2023, the Sociology Colloquium Series will feature Dr. Joya Misra. Dr. Misra is the Provost Professor and Roy J. Zuckerberg Endowed Leadership Chair at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her research considers intersectional inequalities and policy solutions at both workplace and societal levels. She is currently President-Elect of the American Sociological Association.

Colloquia Title and Topic:

"I don't believe that I have been wanted”: BIPOC Faculty Experiences of Overinclusion and Exclusion"

This paper explores the specific context-dependent mechanisms of racial and gender privilege among university faculty. Interviews with 62 faculty members who share the same rank and department context but differ by race and gender provide insights on how race and gender condition faculty experiences. The researchers find that gendered racism shows up in three ways in academic contexts: “over-inclusion,” active exclusion, and  passive exclusion. Over-inclusion includes the reliance of the university on BIPOC women faculty’s labor given the university’s “diversity mantra.” Active exclusion involves the devaluation of BIPOC faculty’s research, teaching and service, and a lack of access to resources and positions. Passive exclusion reflects how BIPOC women and men are left out of collaborations, mentoring, and decision-making relative to white colleagues. Moving beyond rhetoric to disrupting racism in the academy requires addressing over-inclusion, and both active and passive exclusions, as well as recognizing the differences in experiences of BIPOC women and men.