Challenges of Overcoming Structural Barriers for African American Engineers in the United States and in the African Diaspora

Abstract

This chapter outlines the academic literature that addresses the persistent underrepresentation of African Americans in engineering education in the United States and throughout the African diaspora. While the numbers of African Americans has grown over the past few decades in other professions, the numbers of African Americans in engineering have stagnated and declined since the beginning of the twenty-first century. Early pioneers of scholars in African American studies thought that they could easily construct a reverse mirror image of the curricula they encountered in other academic disciplines, such as history, political science, or anthropology. A glaring omission of the early pioneers is the work that would be needed in engineering education. Many of the early pioneers failed to take into account that work needs to also be done directly within engineering education to foster “sociotechnical” engineering undergraduates and professionals. The depoliticization and meritocratization of engineering education has often allowed structural barriers to remain in place that hinder the success of African Americans in engineering. After summarizing some of the major explanations that attempt to explain underrepresentation of African Americans in engineering, the article concludes with suggestions for further research, highlighting the continued pivotal role of historically black colleges and universities and the need to encourage more investments to promote research and development in African universities.