Abstract
This article examines issues related to the underrepresentation of faculty of color in higher education, with specific attention to the discipline of Sociology and the Pacific Sociological Association (PSA). The authors explore the role that professional organizations such as the PSA have played in promoting racial and ethnic diversity within the Sociology pipeline. Further, it provides an analytic overview of the history of conference presentations on the topic of race and ethnicity within the PSA over the last eight decades. The article proceeds in three major parts: First, is an outline of the contours of the problem of racial underrepresentation in the academy. Next, follows a content analysis of PSA programs, which indicates that race continues to be of central importance to the PSA and that the 1970s were a turning point when the PSA began to examine its role in promoting diversity in the discipline. Finally, mentorship is presented as a critical vehicle for promoting greater racial equity in the PSA and the discipline of Sociology more broadly.
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Notes
Disaggregated data from the NSF (not shown here) indicate that in several consecutive years, a total of zero to two Native scholars have earned their Ph.D. in Sociology. Although not addressed in this paper, more targeted research by the American Sociological Association is needed to fully evaluate the unique challenges that Native students face at the undergraduate and graduate levels (cf. Mihesuah and Wilson (2004).
In 2013, the PSA meetings were restructured such that fewer papers were accepted leading to an overall lower numbers of papers and sessions. This decision was undertaken strategically to increase attendance at sessions and provide the annual meetings a greater overall focus.
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Camacho, M.M., Gaytán, M.S. & Prieto, G. Diversity in the Academy: On the Growing Prominence of Race and Ethnicity in the Pacific Sociological Association, 1929–2014. Am Soc 45, 301–318 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12108-014-9237-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12108-014-9237-6