Racism and Sexism in
Academic Philosophy -
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Racism in Academic Philosophy in Canada, England, and the USA
Sexism in Academic Philosophy in Canada, England, and USA
By: Shawn Alli
Posted: May 9, 2016
*All individuals and organizations receive 7 full days of pre-publication notice (11 including weekends).
*I ask for a request for comment from the philosophy department instead of the university spokesperson because it's the philosophy department (philosophers) that are racist or sexist.
*I round up to one decimal place for all figures.
In a request for comment I ask them:
1. Do you believe that 2/10 women in tenure-track positions represents sexism in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville philosophy department?
2. Do you believe that 0/10 visible minorities in tenure-track positions represents racism in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville philosophy department?
University of Tennessee Philosophy Professor John Nolt is kind enough to respond:
You are right about the composition of our department. It can't be denied that this has much to do with racism and sexism in the profession. But we are well aware of our diversity problem and have been working to solve it. Our efforts have been hindered, though, by budget difficulties.
Due to shifts in funding from the humanities to the STEM disciplines, our department has lost several tenure-line positions that were formerly occupied by women. The last three times we were permitted by the College to hire, we hired two women (Nora Berenstain and Kristina Gehrman) and an Afro-Caribbean man (Avery Archer). The women are still with us. Unfortunately, Archer was recruited away this past year by George Washington University.
Since we were unable to match their offer and he preferred the D.C. area for personal reasons, we couldn't persuade him to stay. Last fall we made a proposal to hire another woman (Georgi Gardner) as his replacement, but that proposal was not funded by the college. Still, we continue to press for new tenure-line faculty who will increase our diversity.
This is more or less the best response from a professor. Nolt actually admits racism and sexism ideologies play a role in the hiring of tenure-track professors. He deserves a genuine public speech award. Everyone else hides behind politically correct terms or dismisses the ideologies.
In regards to the lack of funding from the college, college administrators know that philosophy departments are dead weight. It's a drain on funds. There's no amount of money that you can throw at a philosophy department and expect a gold nugget at the end. It doesn't work that way in philosophy.