Reexamining Racism, Sexism, and Identity Taxation in the Academy

This book explores the diversity-related labour that marginalized faculty, students, and staff are expected to perform because of their social identities – i.e., “identity taxation” in US higher education institutions. It compiles new research on cultural and identity taxation to highlight how systemic racism and patriarchy perpetuate identity taxation in 21st century US academe.

Amado Padilla coined the term “cultural taxation” nearly 30 years ago to outline the expectations that faculty of colour address diversity affairs on their campuses. In this insightful volume, Laura Hirshfield and Tiffany Joseph expand the concept, adopting the term “identity taxation” to accentuate the labour members of marginalized groups participate in due to their intersectional identities. Beyond bringing these terms into conversation with others highlighting marginalized academics’ experience, this volume empirically explores how identity taxation affects students and staff, not just the faculty who were the focus of previous scholarship. It provides insight into the consequences of taxation at a moment when change and dismantling structural racism is most needed in universities and society.

Reexamining Racism, Sexism, and Identity Taxation in the Academy will be a key resource for academics, researchers, and advanced students of race and ethnic studies, education, research methods, sociology, and cultural studies.This book was originally published as a special issue of Ethnic and Racial Studies.