Review of “Equity in Science: Representation, Culture, and the Dynamics of Change in Graduate Education”

Abstract

Reviewer: Barbara Schneider, Michigan State University, USA Given the considerable emphasis universities have placed on implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, Julie Posselt’s brilliant book could not have been published at a more propitious time. This is a theoretically rich analysis of what equity means in graduate science education. Moving beyond those making the case that inequities exist by primarily relying on numeric metrics, Posselt delves deep into the everyday experiences, professional norms and practices, and politics of diversity and inclusion to highlight the challenges and opportunities of institutional change. Beginning with the widespread agreement that the culture in graduate science education must change, coupled with data on the gender and the ethnic and racial disparities in post-graduate degree attainment, she explains why there has to be a major reset in how we conceive of equity. Using a sociological lens, Posselt’s analytic discussion for how to measure equity brings...