Degrees of Difference: Reflections of Women of Color on Graduate School uses personal narrative supported by scholarly research to identify the struggles faced by women of color in graduate school and the methods deployed by women to mitigate the academic and emotional struggles they face. Contributors represent a diverse group of women from different ethnic, racial, and national origin backgrounds in fields ranging from the humanities to sciences. The essays engage common themes that recur in many women of color’s narratives: racial microaggressions, alienation, disillusionment, a lack of dep ... More

Degrees of Difference: Reflections of Women of Color on Graduate School uses personal narrative supported by scholarly research to identify the struggles faced by women of color in graduate school and the methods deployed by women to mitigate the academic and emotional struggles they face. Contributors represent a diverse group of women from different ethnic, racial, and national origin backgrounds in fields ranging from the humanities to sciences. The essays engage common themes that recur in many women of color’s narratives: racial microaggressions, alienation, disillusionment, a lack of departmental and institutional support, imposter syndrome, a lack of self-care, and limited support from family and partners. The authors then discuss the specific steps taken to resist the roadblocks that stop many women of color from completing their degrees. Focusing on self-care, the creation of supportive communities, finding like-minded mentors, and strategies on resisting racism and unsupportive faculty and graduate students, the contrubtors offer solutions and possible avenues to support other women of color’s success in academia.