Cultural Taxation or "Tax Credit"? Understanding the Nuances of Student of Color Labor on Campus

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: Contemporary Issues Related to Student Success (San Diego)

Abstract

In this theoretical paper, we use intersectionality to understand divergent outcomes – from cultural taxation to tax credits – for students of color (SOC) working to diversify their campuses. Research shows that higher education’s attempts to leverage perspectives of faculty of color levy heavy costs – “cultural taxation” – on their professional advancement. While scholarship on cultural taxation of faculty is robust, the effects of cultural taxation on SOC is less understood. We argue that when SOC perform uncompensated or unacknowledged labor for their institutions, they may experience a similar tax academically or professionally. We expand on this discussion to include the concept of “tax credit,” wherein some students may benefit from this labor based on possession of other, privileged identities.

Authors

• Emily Petruzzelli Schell, Stanford University

• Oswaldo Rosales, Stanford University

• Clarissa Gutierrez, Stanford University

• Amado M. Padilla, Stanford University