Multiple Identities and Scholarship: Black Scholars’ Struggles for Acceptance and Recognition in the United States of America

Abstract

Abstract This article explores the stories of African and African American scholars in predominantly white institutions. It sheds light on the challenges of underrepresentation, sexism, and racial identity in an area of white fragility: academia. The lack of representation among International Studies scholars in the United States and Europe has not only had an impact on academia, but has also put heavy pressure on minority scholars, since they are often asked, by their institutions and students, to advise and mentor students who too often feel out of place or misunderstood by the faculty available to them. Therefore, it is imperative that we embrace minority faculty members, whether they are from the United States, Europe, or the Global South. Using narrative analysis, I examine conversations that I had with thirteen Black women who work at prestigious white universities and ten students who took classes with at least one Black, female professor. Although our field has expanded and accepted new members, many minority scholars still see it as a very selective, almost all Western, boys’ club.