The Epistemic Place of Black Women in STEM Education Discourse: A Comparison Between Brazil and Ethiopia

• In Event: 79.051 - MTCC Roundtable Session 37
  In Roundtable Session: 79.051-5 - Building Theory and Conceptual Frameworks Through the Study of the Black Educational Experience

Abstract

In this scholarly paper, the authors interrogate literature about Black women in STEM higher education in Brazil and Ethiopia. As both countries experience a rapid growth of higher education, especially with the increased participation of members from marginalized groups in universities, it is important to analyze the epistemic place these populations have assumed or being place into on educational discourses. An analysis of the epistemic place of Black women, the largest group in both countries, reveals the current climate of higher education as well as similarities and differences across African Diaspora contexts. By showing how Black women are used as discursive objects to maintain systems of oppression, the authors contribute to scholarship about underrepresented students in STEM higher education.

Authors

• Meseret Hailu, The Ohio State University

• Priscila Pereira, University of Illinois at Chicago