Degrees of Difference

Reflections of Women of Color on Graduate School

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Pub Date May 11 2020 | Archive Date May 11 2020

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Description

University commitments to diversity and inclusivity have yet to translate into support for women of color graduate students. Sexism, classism, homophobia, racial microaggressions, alienation, disillusionment, a lack of institutional and departmental support, limited help from family and partners, imposter syndrome, narrow reading lists—all remain commonplace. Indifference to the struggles of women of color in graduate school and widespread dismissal of their work further poisons an atmosphere that suffocates not only ambition but a person's quality of life.

In Degrees of Difference, women of color from diverse backgrounds give frank, unapologetic accounts of their battles—both internal and external—to navigate grad school and fulfill their ambitions. At the same time, the authors offer strategies for surviving the grind via stories of their own hard-won successes with self-care, building supportive communities, finding like-minded mentors, and resisting racism and unsupportive faculty and colleagues.

Contributors: Aeriel A. Ashlee, Denise A. Delgado, Nwadiogo I. Ejiogu, Delia Fernández, Regina Emily Idoate, Karen J. Leong, Kimberly D. McKee, Délice Mugabo, Carrie Sampson, Arianna Taboada, Jenny Heijun Wills, and Soha Youssef

University commitments to diversity and inclusivity have yet to translate into support for women of color graduate students. Sexism, classism, homophobia, racial microaggressions, alienation...


Advance Praise

"The informed editors of this collection, Degrees of Difference, utilize all their tools and the most renowned feminist theorists (Ahmed and Anzaldúa) to incorporate the book within a body of literature that has precedents, however precedents that have somewhat left out a group in academia: graduate students, which this collection remedies. Graduate students, ABD, professors to be, often work under the worst conditions, in structures of power that invisibilize them. In its invaluable introduction Degrees of Difference, the editors beautifully encapsulate the importance of a varied array of titles that set a precedent for this innovative feminist, diverse and inclusive manuscript. The personal and the political are addressed in this multifaceted collection, which is a blanket of resources for graduate students and tenure-track academics, as well as for seasoned and tenured committee members, serving on university rank and tenure committees. Bravas! This is a great addition to a collection of groundbreaking literature in this area. I applaud the press. This collection honors all women academics, especially in times like these."--Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, editor of Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia


"Read this book! Degrees of Difference is a compelling collection of testimonies accompanied with sharp analyses and just the right amount of real talk. It offers both vulnerable and empowered reflections on the experiences of women of color and indigenous women in graduate school."--Nitasha Tamar Sharma, author of Beyond Ethnicity: New Politics of Race in Hawai i

"The informed editors of this collection, Degrees of Difference, utilize all their tools and the most renowned feminist theorists (Ahmed and Anzaldúa) to incorporate the book within a body of...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780252085055
PRICE $19.95 (USD)
PAGES 232

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Average rating from 9 members


Featured Reviews

An outstanding title that should find its way into anyone involved with grad school education and, specifically, the indigenous women and women of color that must navigate the system. Read my full review here: https://thechrisgonzalez.com/degrees-of-difference-reflections-of-women-of-color-on-graduate-school-book-review/

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This is a wonderfully informative book! I highly recommend it as a great resource for degreed women who may find the wealth of information provided useful and beneficial.

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Interesting and informative. I would have no hesitation in recommending this well written book.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

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This is a book worth writing, and is certainly one worth reading. It contains frank and honest accounts of the struggles women of colour encountered as they strived to earn themselves an education. Everyone must work hard to achieve degrees, masters and doctorates but these students encountered so many more battles along the way, many many more than I could ever envision in my middle class white upbringing. They encountered classism, racism, sexism through their journeys but rather than develop defeatist attitudes and bail at the first hurdle, these obstacles made them stronger. They gravitated towards likeminded individuals and developed a resilience that pushed them through, and up higher on the ladder to success. I applaud these women and am in awe of their paths. May they be forever successful in all that they encounter. This is a book that will inspire all.

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I really enjoyed reading these essays, written by women of color who are in graduate school, that explores the barriers that WOC has in being able to not only access but thrive, in post-grad environments. As education in the US is so closely tied to race and class, it makes post-grad education very difficult to attain without having some degree of economic privilege or access. These stories are very enlightening to the structural problems this system has and the need for increased social support for students from all walks of life to be able to thrive.

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As a black woman with a doctoral degree, and currently pursuing an M.S. degree in a tangential area, this book was a must read for me.

The academic experience from the perspective of women of color is an area of study that many would-be, as well as current, graduate students do not read.

The well-curated and multifaceted collection of essays is a must-read for all soon-to-be grad students of color.

Highly recommended for school libraries - high school, community college, tradition 4-year universities, and graduate schools.

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This book is the perfect book for any Women of Color to read before entering graduate schools. The essays provide practical real-world advice as well as anecdotes and words of support and encouragement from women who have successfully navigated the process. As graduation season approaches this is the perfect gift for any young woman of color headed to graduate school this fall. For those currently enrolled this book offers advice and hope for continuing to push through the trials and tribulations that accompany navigating the microaggressions that are hidden throughout academia.

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