Peter Lang Publishing is pleased to announce a call for chapter submissions for its book, “Tedious Journeys: Women of Color Use Autoethnograpy to Explore their Experiences in Higher Education.” They are looking for female professors of color as associate or full professors, and administrators. Proposals due: April 10, 2009.
Peter Lang Publishing Call for Chapter Submissions
Tedious Journeys: Women of Color Use Autoethnograpy to Explore their Experiences in Higher Education
Editors: Cynthia Cole Robinson, Ph.D. and Pauline Clardy, Ph.D.
Publisher: Peter Lang
Scope and Purpose
We are pleased to announce that Peter Lang Publishing has contracted us with an intent to publish our edited volume. As the title suggests, our book examines the unique lived experiences of women of color as professors in predominately white institutions. It also explores the presence of racism embedded in the cultures of the universities and how it affects the professors’ experiences within the institution, as well as in the classroom as teachers of a majority white student population. While universities seek compliance with diversity mandates and standards, many times they are ill-prepared on how to attract and retain faculty of color. Also, initiatives are undertaken by institutions to address issues of diversity, but all too often the initiatives are present in written policy but not reflected in the operations of the university and among the predominately white faculty. As a result, faculty members of color experience racism and discrimination in the institutional structure as it relates to the hiring processes, committee appointments, collegial relations among colleagues, etc. In the classroom, many professors experience racism in the form of disrespect from students who resist multicultural curricula with social justice orientations, challenge the professors’ authority and demand to authenticate their “right” or qualifications to teach. The purpose of this research is two-fold: (1) we hope to lend voice to the experience of academics who are women of color as a means of creating a dialogue and developing support networks for faculty members of color who may have similar experiences. Such experiences can be isolating and debilitating and support networks and validating stories often can assist professors, especially new faculty members, in negotiating the marginalizing university cultures we describe. (2) This book can increase institutions’ awareness of how faculty members of color actually experience life within the academy which can aid in institutional efforts to move beyond the rhetoric of diversity to the practice of diversity; hence, increasing the attraction and retention of faculty members of color.
Table of Contents
Chapter One: Introduction
This chapter discusses the history of female professors of color in higher education with a focus on their unique experiences that stem from the intersection of race and gender, i.e. double oppression, which are explored in this book. Additionally, the chapter presents the purpose of the research which is to examine the lived experiences of women of color who are professors in the culture of predominately white institutions. It also explores the presence of racism embedded in the cultures of the universities and how it affects the professors’ experiences within the institution, as well as in the classroom as teachers of a majority white student population.
Also included in this chapter is a literature review that focuses on the legacy of research on female professors of color that includes literature on feminisms emerging from culturally diverse perspectives such as Black Feminist Thought (BFT), Chicana Feminism, etc.. The chapter also includes a section on the methodology of the study which is autoethnography.
Chapter Two: Understanding Life as an African American Female Professor
This chapter is a “life note” or “overheard conversation” as Cynthia Dillard terms it in her book entitled, On spiritual strivings: Transforming an African American woman’s academic life, and was the genesis of this research and the journey towards the willingness to be vulnerable by sharing life stories or autoethnographies about experiences in the academy as African American women academics as a more authentic way of exploring diversity in the academy.
Chapter Three: High Hopes and the Gravity of Reality
This chapter focuses on the experiences of Dr. Cynthia Cole Robinson in a majority white university in the Midwest. She frames her discussion around her experiences as they related to hiring, perceptions of and reception to the university, life in the institution, diversity, lessons learned and decisions made.
Chapter Four: They Call Me Dr. Clardy: Making Meaning of My Life as an Academic
This chapter focuses on the experiences of Dr. Pauline Clardy in a majority white university in the Midwest. She frames her discussion around her experiences as they related to the hiring process, first impressions, life in the institution, diversity, lessons learned, decisions made, and meaning making of her experiences.
Chapter Five:
This chapter will include the story of an African American female associate professor.
Chapter Six:
This chapter will include the story of an African American female full professor.
Chapter Seven:
This chapter will include the story of an African American female administrator.
Chapter Eight: Conclusions and Recommendations
Audience
The potential audience for Tedious Journeys: Women of Color Use Autoethnograpy to Explore their Experiences in Higher Education are professors and doctoral students of color, female professors , administrators and faculty in general.
SPECIAL NOTES TO PROSPECTIVE AUTHORS: We are looking for female professors of color of the following ranks/positions: one associate professor, one full professor and one administrator to share their experiences as females of color in predominantly white institutions. Scholars who are interested in contributing to this book are invited to submit a 2-page (double-spaced) manuscript proposal by April 6, 2009, which clearly explains the aims and focus of the proposed chapter and how the chapter will address diversity in higher education. Chapters will be assessed based on content, feminist theoretical framework, autoethnographic style and suitability. If you have a completed manuscript on this topic which has not been published previously, please send the completed work as well. Send your proposal by e-mail to: Drs. Robinson and Clardy [mail to: robinsonc@calumet.purdue.edu and pclardy@ilstu.edu. Your subject line should read “Book Chapter Proposal.”
Authors of accepted proposals will receive feedback and more detailed chapter
submission guidelines by April 10, 2009. Full chapters (length: 5500 - 6500 words) are expected to be submitted by May 15, 2009. Submissions (in a word-compatible format) should be sent by email to the editors. Authors should include a separate cover page with their names, titles, institutional affiliation, mailing addresses, daytime phone number(s), fax number(s), email addresses, and a brief biographical sketch. The editors request that all text pages be numbered consecutively. References should include the most recent publications on the subject matter. For writing and editorial styles, authors must follow guidelines in the 5th edition of Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
We can be contacted at robinsonc@calumet.purdue.edu and pclardy@ilstu.edu
Cynthia’s phone number is: 219-989-2202; Pauline’s phone number is 309-438-5882.
