The irony of an ‘international faculty’

Abstract

Using the autoethnographic case study method, this article examines how my positionality as a foreign-born faculty member intersects with the institutional rhetoric of diversity and inclusion present in many predominantly White institutions. My vignettes show that foreign-born faculty, although contributing to the representation of diversity numbers, are positioned as knowledge providers in the discussions about the ‘global’, the ‘cultural’ and sometimes the ‘racial’, thus, ironically reinforce the embedded White institutional culture. This article argues that foreign-born faculty members could make use of their cultural positions to unpack the classed and racial culture on campus and to cultivate students’ anthropological sensibility. In other words, foreign-born faculty are in a unique position of recognising the limitations of the current diversity and inclusion rhetoric in predominantly White institutions (PWI), but also, they have the potential of decentring the White, middle-class cultural norms. This article concludes with some pedagogical implications.

The Asian Conference on the Social Sciences 2023: Official Conference Proceedings

“…Recent studies have shed some light on the experiences of foreign-born academics in the United States demonstrating that both gender and national origin may create challenges for international women faculty. In terms of methodology, prior research mainly employed interviews (e.g., Ghosh & Barber, 2021;Li, 2020) or autoethnographies (e.g., Cruz et al, 2020;Wang, 2021). This study employed a quantitative approach and drew on survey data, which will later be supplemented with interview data within our larger, mixed-methods interdisciplinary project.…”

Navigating uncharted paths to the American professoriate: experiences of immigrant black female faculty

“…Nonetheless, racial minorities face marginalization on university campuses (Agosto and Karanxha, 2011; Davis and Brown, 2017; Wang, 2021). The National Center of Education Statistics (NCES) found that black people, who constitute 12% of the US population, constitute 6% of faculty in degree-granting postsecondary institutions as of Fall 2018 (NCES, 2018).…”

“…This involves both recruiting students from diverse backgrounds and employing faculty from multicultural backgrounds. Research shows that faculty members of foreign descent tend to reflect the changing demographics of the internationalized campus environment, and bring diversity in experience and ideas to the American education ethnos (Hénard et al, 2012; Immigrant black female faculty Wang, 2021). Institutions that incorporate foreign academic professionals and students help to promote cultural competency and position graduates to work in multicultural environments (Gordon et al, 2019;Hurtado, 2001;Trice, 2003).…”

“…The presence of international faculty also helps to attract international students who recognize that these individuals will be well-positioned to support them (García and Villarreal, 2014). Nonetheless, racial minorities face marginalization on university campuses (Agosto and Karanxha, 2011;Davis and Brown, 2017;Wang, 2021). The National Center of Education Statistics (NCES) found that black people, who constitute 12% of the US population, constitute 6% of faculty in degree-granting postsecondary institutions as of Fall 2018 (NCES, 2018).…”