Asian Female Scholars Finding Their Pathways Through the Academy

• In Event: 16.061 - Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: 16.061-6 - Addressing Racism in the Academy: Experiences of Faculty of Color

Abstract

Informed by the trajectory of my own experience as an Asian female scholar, I explore autobiographical narratives told by four Asian female scholars about their experiences as academics going through the tenure process. This study shows how their autobiographical stories both represent and help construct senses of themselves as scholars struggling with the constraints and opportunities provided by gender and ethnicity. The findings focus on themes of (a) the model minority myth, (b) tenure decisions and double standards, (c) alleged passivity and compliance, (d) disempowerment and vulnerability, (e) institutional racism, and (f) advice for junior Asian female scholars. The results of this study promote crucial and powerful dialogue in higher education.

Author

• Deoksoon Kim, Boston College