Mapping race and gender in the academy: the experiences of women of colour faculty and graduate students in Britain, the US and Canada

Abstract

This paper examines the experiences of women of colour in geography. An analysis of qualitative, open‐ended questionnaires with women of colour geography faculty and graduate students in North America and Britain suggests that policies and practices within geography departments continue to reflect a pervasive persistence of racialized and gendered inequities in the workplace. There has been relatively little application of theoretical work on race and gender to the minority experience within geography. Some strategies suggested to challenge racialized and gendered barriers that limit women of colour's full participation in geography include a proactive recruitment programme, diversification of the curriculum and development of mentoring.

Keywords:

• Women of colour
• racialization
• gender
• diversification

Notes

Correspondence address: Minelle Mahtani, Department of Cultural and Media Studies, Eugene Lang College, New School University, Room C111, 64 West 11th Street, New York, NY 10011, USA. Email: [email protected]

It is important to note that by employing the phrase ‘women of colour’ I am acknowledging its contingency and temporality. I use the phrases minority women and women of colour interchangeably throughout this paper, and by doing so I am including those women who identify as minorities, as women of colour, or as a member of a perceived minority ethnic group. The borders through which these terms are constituted can be porous, and I employ these terms to discuss the experiences of those women who self‐identify within one or all of these ethno‐racial identifications.

• The questionnaire included the following questions:

• Part One: General statistics

• Name: (all names will be kept confidential). Current academic affiliation and title.

• Part Two: Open‐ended questions

• Why did you choose geography for your graduate work? Why is human geography appealing to you compared to other disciplines? Tell me a little about the relationship between your current pursued topic for your PhD and geography. How does geography shed light on your areas of interest? Which aspects of your graduate school experience have been helpful for you as a woman of colour starting out in this field? Tell me about your experiences in geography as a woman of colour. Have you ever experienced any discomfort in geography? Is it different for visible minorities in geography? Do you think that feminist geography and work in geography and race in particular has been helpful for you both personally and professionally? Why or why not? Fewer than five percent of human geography professors are women of colour. Why is this the case? If you have TA'ed, have any of your students expressed discomfort with geography because it is a primarily white discipline? If so, how have you addressed this issue? What can our discipline do to encourage more women of colour to pursue graduate work in this field? Is it important to you to diversify the discipline of geography? Why or why not? Do you think it makes a difference to our discipline if there are more women of colour in geography? What have been your sources of support as a woman of colour in geography? What have been some of the obstacles for you as a woman of colour in geography?

It is worth noting that at the 2003 AAG meeting in New Orleans, Council approved the establishment of a Task Force on Diversity whose goal will be to identify strategies to increase representation of women and men of colour in geography. However, although I am encouraged by such steps, it remains to be seen whether the task force will identify the most significant barriers to people of colour in geography and then insist that departments across North America take active measures to obliterate barriers to their full participation within the discipline.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Minelle Mahtani

Correspondence address: Minelle Mahtani, Department of Cultural and Media Studies, Eugene Lang College, New School University, Room C111, 64 West 11th Street, New York, NY 10011, USA. Email: [email protected]