"This book is an effort to engage the University of San Francisco community, to strengthen its understanding of the role of multi-ethnic women in education and their participation in enhancing the community’s academic discourse."
-- Introduction
The complete anthology as well as individual essays are all available for download on this page.
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Listening to the Voices: Multi-ethnic Women in Education
Betty Taylor
"This book is an effort to engage the University of San Francisco community, to strengthen its understanding of the role of multi-ethnic women in education and their participation in enhancing the community’s academic discourse."
-- Introduction
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The Impact of Matriarchal Traditions on the Advancement of Ashanti Women in Ghana
Karen McGee
"What is the impact of a matriarchal tradition and the tradition of an African queenmothership on the ability of African women to advance in political, educational, and economic spheres in their countries? The Ashanti tribe of the Man people is the largest tribe in Ghana; it is a matrilineal society. A description of the precolonial matriarchal tradition among the Ashanti people of Ghana, an analysis of how the matriarchal concept has evolved in more contemporary governments and political situations in Ghana, and an analysis of the status of women in modern Ghana may provide some insight into the impact of the queenmothership concept."
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Quest for Equality
Marta Frias Morales
Mexican Americans/Chicanos have been on a historical quest for equality in the United States. This essay outlines important Mexican American Chicanos’ roles in the development of the United States, especially in the Southwest. It addresses issues and patterns of migration as well as the important forces for colonization and the environment. In addition, it reveals the importance of Mexican American women in education and employment.
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Colonialism and Resistance: The Filipino American and Pacific Islander Women Professorship Experience
Ingrid Mariano Gonzales
Racist stereotypes such as the Asian American modelminority myth falsely depict the Asian American community as homogenous and devoid of any educational equity problems. Consequently not many scholars consider the lack of representation of Asian American women faculty members in higher education. Pilipina American and Hawaiian female professors are the minority within the minority in institutions of higher education. Pilipina American and Hawaiian women professors are leading the struggle through academic and nonacademic fronts to advance the equity and social-justice movement in the United States and the world. Pilipina American and Hawaiian women professors use the process of decolonization as a tool for liberatory education and creating change; they begin this process by (a) deconstructing their history of colonial experience and (b) identifying modes of colonial resistance for their classrooms and their consciousness.
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Supporting the Success of Female Asian American College Students
Gregory V. Wolcott
This essay outlines important research on female Asian American college students as they weave through the shared experiences of college campus life, and through the multidimensional complexities of identity development. In it, I suggest that colleges should develop programs outside of so-called traditional developmental models and celebrate the history, traditions, and contributions of all student groups through relevant programs and support. In particular, a more formalized theory of development needs to be developed in regard to female Asian American students. The aforementioned point of view is supported in the research literature.
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Campus Climate and Coalition Building for Faculty of Color
Stephanie H. Carlos
"It is common practice for colleges and universities to tout the diversity of their faculty, staff, and students in marketing materials and mission statements, but one must look beyond the shiny veneer of websites and brochures to understand the daily challenges faculty of color face in academia. In 2000, people of color comprised only 12.9% of full-time faculty (Diggs, Garrison-Wade, Estrada, & Galindo, 2009). The texts Faculty of Color: Teaching in Predominantly White Colleges and Universities, edited by Stanley, and Women of Color in the White Classroom, edited by Vargas, are collections of reflections by faculty members of color on their experiences in academia. Although the Vargas (2002) text focuses specifically on women faculty of color and the Stanley (2006) text on both male and female faculty of color, there are two main themes that surfaced time and time again: the impact of campus climate on faculty of color and the impact of coalition building, which is critical to the success of faculty of color. The consideration of these two common themes allows a better understanding of how campus climates can be modified to improve the experience of faculty of color and which coalitions are most effective in supporting faculty of color in higher education."
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Women of Color in Higher Education: Challenges in the Hiring Process for Prospective Administrators
Demerris Brooks-Immel
Women of color face unique challenges and barriers in higher education due to longstanding bias that directly impacts how objectivity, meritocracy, individuality, and experiential knowledge are viewed and assessed. In Women Faculty of Color in the White Classroom, Vargas discussed the challenges women of color face in pursuit of faculty positions in higher education. This essay highlights similarities to, and provides examples of, comparable challenges for women of color in pursuit of management and executive positions in institutions of higher education. It also makes specific recommendations regarding current practices in the hiring process of one state university.
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Native American Women in Academia
Edward Miamee Salce
"This essay is meant as a guide to help Indian women understand aspects of the race- and gender-based educational and social problems created by the American system to subdue their ascension. I present real-life examples of women who have flourished, despite the intentional obstacles laid before them. I hope to do justice for the women of my ethnicity who have contributed to my life in ways they may not have known affected me, including as matriarchs of the family, scholastic mentors, inspirational figures, and supporters of my past attempts to understand gender differences while retaining the fact that they were my equal. I came upon this idea during research of Native views of men and women and how they have had roles conferred upon them—some the same, others not—by the Great Spirit and must work in unison, relying on one another to achieve aspirations; only when the European colonizer disrupted this time-honored cycle did Native people refrain from the natural ways of humane treatment."
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Women of Color in Higher Education
Kristin Conner
This essay examines Vargas’s (2002) and Stanley’s (2006) primary and secondary theses. I examine the primary thesis of each text as the experience of women faculty of color in the classroom, namely their relationship and interactions with predominately White classrooms. I then examine the secondary thesis of each text, which focuses on the limited support faculty of color receive in contrast to White faculty, specifically through such means as mentoring.
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Mentorship and Women of Color in Higher Education: The Stronger Our Voice, the Greater Impact We Might Forge
Victoria Duran
This essay examines the experience of women faculty of color in institutions of higher education, specifically focusing on the lived experiences of Latinas and the role of mentorship. Mentorship for women of color in higher education is essential to increasing tenure rates, overall success in academia, and the retention and recruitment of Latina and African American female students, particularly in predominately White institutions, to break through the glass ceiling. This essay explores historical accounts of the formation of the education system, the history of mentorship, and the different forms of mentorship for Latinas.
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Listen to This Silence: Women in Higher Education in Pakistan
Anniqua Rana
Pakistan has a fairly short history of just over 50 years, becoming independent from British colonial rule in 1947. It shares a much older history with India; however their recent relationship has been turbulent because of disputes over the territory of Kashmir. Despite this, the country has made some economic progress. The education system, however, has not reflected this progress. This is obvious not only in the overall educational indicators, but also in the education of women. Because of religious and cultural practices, women have not been involved in mainstream activities outside of home life. This essay traces the historical background of the feminist movement among Muslims in India, which influenced the women of Pakistan, a nation created for the Muslim majority of India. This is followed by a brief background of higher education in Pakistan, concluding with recommendations about the need for women to become influential in the system, to effect change in the education system by encouraging the 120 Listening to the Voices involvement of women in positions of authority and policy-making in higher education. The inspiration for this essay, “A Bit of Advice” by Shakir, a Pakistani female poet, refers to the silence of women of Pakistan in higher education due to the lack of opportunities available to them and the need for their inclusion in the dialogue for change.
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Asian American Women Faculty: Stereotypes and Triumphs
Celeste Fowles Nguyen
"Asian American women are a small but growing population of higher education faculty in the United States. In 1980–81, there were 252 female Asian full professors in the United States, which increased to 1, 267 in 1999–2000 (Hune, 2006, p. 28). Of all Asian Pacific American faculty, 19% were female in 1979–80, and 30% were female in 1999–2000. Asian American women faculty work primarily at the junior level, and are less likely than Asian Pacific American men to hold tenure (Hune, 2006, p. 28). The statistics give a general overview of Asian American women in the academy, but the individual narratives of these women reveal the distinct challenges, strategies, and triumphs of working in the traditionally White male academy... This essay explores the stereotypes Asian women faculty face and these women’s coping strategies and unique triumphs."
