How Diverse is Your Paper or Curriculum? Take the Test and Find Out! (guest post)

 

How Diverse is Your Paper or Curriculum? 

Take the Test and Find Out!

 

 

Guest Post

 

by 

Axel Arturo Barceló

Instructions:

Your diversity score should be calculated on the basis of only the texts you use that have been authored in the last century, including your own work (count authors of multiple works once for each referenced work). To calculate your diversity score, do the following:

1. Add 2 points for every author of color
1. Add an extra point if the text is not about the work of a white author
2. Add 2 points for every author who is not a cisgender man
1. Add an extra point if the text is not about the work of a cisgender man
3. Add 3 points for every text not originally written in English
1. Add an extra point if the text is not about a work written originally in English
2. Add an extra point if you are not quoting the English translation
3. Add an extra 20 points if you made the published translation yourself
4. Add 2 points for every disabled author
1. Add an extra point if the text is not about the work of a nondisabled author
5. Add 2 points for every author working at a third world department
1. Add an extra point if the text is not about work from a first-world department
6. Subtract 1 point for every author from your own department
7. Subtract 1 point for every author you have had a drink with—even if it was over a full meal, during a conference diner, etc
8. Substract 1 point for every author with seniority over you
9. Subtract 1 point for every author working at a better ranked department than your own
10. Substract 1 point for every author with a degree from a better ranked department than your own
11. Divide the total number of points from the total number of authors in your list of references, multiply this number by ten and this number is your final diversity score.

 

Assessment of your score:

A. If your diversity score is 2 or more

Excellent! You are doing your part  to make philosophy reflect the diversity of experiences and lives in the actual world. You have a broad understanding of what good philosophy is and do not dodge the social responsibilities of doing academic research.

 

B. If your diversity score is between 1 and 2

You have started to become conscious of the importance of diversity in the curricula and have started to take steps in the right direction. You deserve congratulations. But keep up the good work! There is a lot you can still do to ensure that as wide a range of voices as possible is represented in your courses and papers. 

 

C. If your diversity score is 1 or less

Sorry, but yes, you are part of the problem; but don’t worry, there is still a lot you can do to improve your contribution to diversifying the discipline. For example:

Review your references and delete references you added simply because they are the traditional sources for certain well-known positions. If possible, try to find equivalent texts in which lesser-known or less-credited authors defend similar positions. Go back and review the literature looking for texts from underrepresented populations and consider their contributions. Try to make your changes go beyond the merely cosmetic and take the contributions from members of underrepresented groups seriously.

Also, try learning a new language or two. Translate. 

I cannot stress this enough: translate.

If you find out about interesting work from someone who is a member of an underrepresented group, spread the word! Even if you do not end up quoting her work, let people know about it. Recommend it on social media, bring it up in formal and informal conversations with your peers, etc.

Take advantage of resources like the American Philosophical Association’s Directory of Philosophers from Underrepresented Groups in Philosophy at https://updirectory.apaonline.org/

Have you tried capitalising on the existing resources provided by other departments at your university? For example, your university might have a Latinx Studies Department with courses and specialists on Latin philosophy or contact with philosophers from the Hispanic world. Attend the talks of these philosophers or invite them over to give talks in your department. Encourage your students to take courses in those Latinx Studies Departments.

If you make the effort, you will probably be struck by the range and depth of the research done by writers outside of the small world of overrepresented authors and authors from top departments. Engage with the work of the former writers. By doing so, you will most likely end up doing better philosophy and your text or class will definitely will be better  overall. Improving your text or class in this way will most likely not be something you can do with a simple re-write or simply by adding one or two readings to a syllabus, but will require re-focusing your work overall. But that is a very good thing! We are aiming at revolutionising the discipline here!

 

posted by Shelley

Comments

[Moira]

Great ideas! I would only note two things:
a) point 6 ("Subtract 1 point for every author from your own department") clearly shows that this is, again, being written with scholars from the North in mind. If your Department is not in the North, quoting people from your own Department or country may be a plus. There's sure to be an alternative to rephrase this!
b) Latinx studies departments are still located in the North, since "Latinx" is a North American concept. Including scholarship from Latinx studies is often quoted as an inclusive move, but it's actually quite limited in geographical terms, since we're still talking in and about the U.S. (albeit about a relatively less privileged population within that context, of course).

[Axel Arturo Barceló Aspeitia]

Thank you do much for your comments Moira!

(a) Yeah, I battled a lot about whether this applies only to certain departments or not. In the end, I preferred applying it t across the board, but reduce its value to only one point.
This whole second section on one point elements was very much in response to this sort of concerns:

http://theroughground.blogspot.com/2015/01/chalmers-pictures.html

[Disclaimer, I appear in at least one of Chalmer's photos, and have had drinks with him on several occasions]

(b) I completely agree and that is why I added "contact with philosophers from the Hispanic world" which, you are completely right, might contribute more to inclusivity that including scholarship from Latinx studies in the USA.