Longevity and Linguistic Mattering: The Professional Lives of Black Faculty in the Language Sciences

• In Event: Talking Faculty: The Linguistic and Professional Choices of Black Faculty in U.S. Higher Education

Abstract

Objectives: Paper 4 places the long trajectories of four senior scholars in conversation with current experiences of early and mid-career scholars to illustrate how languaging impacts mattering and to offer insights on continuities and discontinuities across generations. The objectives are threefold: 1) to distill generational wisdom by highlighting public narratives and interviews of Black senior scholars in the United States, 2) to show the interconnected nature of personal histories and career development for Black Diasporic scholars, and 3) to provide strategies for building sustainability and mitigating against oppressive systems in the academy.

Theoretical Perspective: This chapter examines Black scholar experiences through the lenses of mattering and intersectionality. Mattering is when everyone feels that they are valued by the community and that they contribute value; there is a sense of positive interdependence (Flett, 2022). Intersectionality is the experience of navigating multiple marginalized identities (Crenshaw, 1990; Crenshaw et al., 1995), and it is used to study overlapping or intersecting social identities and related systems of oppression, domination, or discrimination. Together, mattering and intersectionality provide a framework for understanding the professional choices of Black faculty and how they attempt to align these choices with their values.

Methods: I used an iterative thematic analysis method for all published narratives. First, I applied a priori codes to the public narratives of four highlighted senior scholars—Spears, Smitherman, Rickford, and Baugh—and generated five inductive codes. For the linguistic autobiographies and remaining interviews of mid-career and junior scholars, I examined the role of linguistic mattering in their professional journeys.

Data Sources: Using one-to-one interviews (n= 44), written linguistic autobiographies, and published narratives, Paper 4 draws from the perspectives of 38 scholars in the language sciences. These include Black Diasporic scholars, White scholar allies, and prominent senior Black linguists.

Results: From the senior scholar narratives, I generated five inductive codes: 1) Push-Pull Factors Impacting Professional Choices, 2) Mattering, 3) Faith-Led Professional Agenda, 4) Synchronization of 3Ps (Personal, Professional, Political), and 5) Factors Contributing to Longevity (see Table 1).

In this study, mattering and push-pull factors related to professional choices were the predominant codes identified across Black scholar narratives. An examination of senior Black linguists’ public autobiographical narratives reveal themes related to two major categories: professional mattering and factors contributing to longevity. As mattering is based on individual perception, factors related to professional mattering are internally-focused and rooted in one’s personal values. Factors contributing to longevity are externally-focused and rooted in the values of the academy; they are strategies used to be competitive as a scholar long-term.

Scholarly Significance: This paper shows the interconnected nature of personal histories and career development for Black Diasporic scholars of language. Mattering theory can help elucidate why Black linguists engage in research and professional communities in which they feel valued and can add value. It offers recommendations for building a sustainable career – tips for hiring and promotion, general strategies for troubleshooting challenges, and choosing your professional stance.

Author

• Kahdeidra Monét Martin, Vassar College